


Frost & Snow

by The_Myth_Rider



Series: Trials By The Beasts [1]
Category: Disney Princesses, Frozen (2013)
Genre: Adventure, Disney, Dragons, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Magic, Mythology - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-19 22:38:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 37,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11907654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Myth_Rider/pseuds/The_Myth_Rider
Summary: Birger is a Frost Dragon without hope, and Elsa is a Snow Queen without friends. When the former arrives in Arendelle—wounded both physically and emotionally—and only Elsa can get close, Anna sees an opportunity to help both of the icy individuals. But building friendships won't be their only issue, as dark forces converge upon the dragon they had preyed upon, putting all of Arendelle in grave danger.Dragons and Magic and Darkness clash in the first Beast Trial...





	1. When Wingless Dragons Try To Fly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have this up on FFN, but a two year hiatus wiped out my reader base, it seems. If you're willing to go on this epic journey in my Frozen fanfic with me, I promise I will not disappoint you. =3 Birger, my Frozen OC, is my pride and joy, and I am very proud of some of my work in this story. If you give it a chance, I'll do my best to impress.

A young dragon ran for his life. His fur was white as snow, his manes as blue as the thickest ice. Short but sharp antlers rose from his horse-like head, they also bearing very ice-like coloration. His right foreleg was wounded, a gash on the lower arm and an arrow in his upper arm. The blood dripping from them stained his fur, and marked the deep snow around him, giving an easy trail.

He held it to his chest, hindering his run, forcing him into a near shambling gait. His ears perked as they caught a sound, and the young dragon dared to look back. They were getting close, the baying howls of their dogs striking more fear into his heart than had ever been there before.

Hunters…and they were catching up to him.

The young frost dragon had done nothing wrong, not a single thing. He’d come to Arendelle out of curiosity. He was a beast of ice and magic, and he could “smell” a large amount of ice magic in the fjord-nestled kingdom. He wanted to know where the magic came from, and what was causing it. Frost Dragons like him were never found that far south, not normally.

But his inquisitive nature had done him little good, thus far. All he’d found was human after human, and then…he’d found the men tailing him now. Hunters of the highest caliber, trained to track and kill one thing, and kill it effectively.

Beasts of magic, of wonder, of power.

Beasts…like the young frost dragon.

The farther he ran, the closer the hunters and their hounds seemed to get. The physical exertion was getting too tiring. And if he didn’t find a place to rest soon, the strenuous activity would only worsen his injuries. Turning lame was all the frost dragon needed.

He was ripped from his worries by a sudden, loud, and… _near_ bark! The dragon looked to his right. A dog was right at his flank! He could see the foam collecting on its bared lips from the chase he’d given it. It barked at him again, then lunged.

The dragon screamed as the dog attached to his flank, digging in its claws. The screaming only continued as the dog began biting. The immense pain distracted the frost dragon from his run, and he slipped, plowing a deep trench through the snow.

He lay there in pain as the dog detached itself, proceeding to circle the dragon. It snarled and growled, pausing only once to howl, alerting its comrades and masters. Despair was what now filled the frost dragon’s heart. He was going to die here…murdered by humans whose only reasoning for his death was that he was a magical being.

Why… what had magic ever done to them…?

For a minute, the dragon thought he’d never know, and closed his eyes, awaiting the end.

Then, his nostrils twitched.

He ignored it, and scrunched his eyes harder.

They began twitching again, then breaking out into full on sniffing. His eyes opened quickly and widely as he recognized the scent.

It was the smell of magic…his magic, _ice_ magic.

The frost dragon scowled, then looked over at the dog that had taken him down. He had to know what was causing this magic. He _refused_ to let his life end this way, without any meaning, nor accomplishment.

He slowly attempted to stand, his wounds giving him trouble. The dog that grounded him resumed growling with renewed fervor, slowly creeping towards him to attack again if necessary. Before the canine even had a chance, the frost dragon threw his head in its direction, and let out a great and long breath.

Everywhere the air from the dragon’s lungs landed, a thick layer of frost—nearly ice—accumulated as quick as the blink of an eye. The dog yelped as the cold air hit it, and its body froze over. Now, frosted to the point of frozen, the dog was immobilized.

The frost dragon finally got to his feet, but paused for a moment. He glared at the dog, indulging in the look of terror in its eyes. He’d scared it when he froze it…good…

He looked up as he heard the others getting closer, and started off south, resuming his pained gait. But as he forged on, and the hunters sounded no farther, he looked back in despair. He was still giving them an excellent trail to follow. He had to do something…he couldn’t let the men catch him again. They knew better now, they wouldn’t be careless like before.

After a few more feet of despair, hope returned to him as his horse-like ears perked. He’d just gotten an idea! The dragon took in as deep a breath as he could. When his lungs were filled to their brim, he lowered his head breathed on the snow before him. A layer of frost accumulated, not taking long before it could bear even his weight without cracking.

The frost dragon lightly put his uninjured paw on the icy layer and pushed. No breaking, at least, not from the amount of pressure he’d put. His ears perked again as he caught sound of the hunters’ dogs. They were getting closer, again.

Without any more hesitation, the young dragon laid his belly on the frost and took in another deep breath. Pushing with his hind paws, he began sliding down the stretch of frost he’d created, like a giant penguin. As he neared the end of the previous stretch, the dragon let out his held breath, furthering the frost.

This, along with a couple more held breaths and gradual release of air, allowed him to slide down the snowy ground and between tall, sparse pines with speed. It did not take long before the young frost dragon lost the dogs. Since the dragon’s frost appeared just a part of the landscape, and he had gone too fast for dripping blood, his trail had…well…gone cold. For the briefest moments, he would be safe.

The dragon took this opportunity to rest a bit. He was laying prone on the snow, exhausted. The previous running had drained him severely. Coupled with the extensive use of his frost breath to make the ‘penguin slide’ possible, the poor thing couldn’t even stand.

A few minutes passed…then a few more…than an hour or two. His energy was slowly being replenished. Despite how blissful doing nothing was feeling, the young beast knew he’d have to move eventually. If he didn’t find a place to hide and to rest, he might as well just go back to the hunters.

Before he could convince his muscles to move, the snapping of a twig convinced one of his ears to twitch. The dragon’s eyes snapped open, and he looked around, smelling for whatever was near. Fear rose in his eyes and heart as he recognized the smell.

It was the smell of a man, of a human.

While without the scent of dog like the hunters, the young frost dragon’s opinion of men at all had been immeasurably spoiled. He rose to a half-crouch as the perpetrator entered the glade with him.

It was a young man, much younger than the hunters. He had a stocky build, covered in dark, thick clothing lined with fur. A cap covered his head, blonde locks peeking out from underneath. Brown eyes were what fell on the young frost dragon, and he watched as they swelled with confusion. The young man frowned, most of his face hidden by a mask.

“What the—” The young man began.

Before anymore words could be said by the main, the dragon rose to his feet snarled viciously at the young man. He would’ve roared, but that would risk alerting the hunters or their dogs.

The man’s eyes widened as he stepped back, letting out a loud, sharp “Whoa!” at the dragon’s display.

The reaction did nothing at all to settle the dragon. In fact, it only frightened him further. Growling, he took in a breath to freeze the man. But a sudden twinge of pain from his forgotten wounds caused the dragon’s breath to hitch. Not wanting to waste the air he’d gathered, the dragon proceeded to quickly breathe the man.

The dragon watched with satisfaction as the young man quickly began to stiffen. Taking his chance, the frost dragon quickly limped away. He headed for the mountains nearby as quickly as he could. Upon arrival, the young beast was overjoyed to spot a cave. As he got closer, it appeared to be smaller than he thought. But before his joy could die, he noticed it was just big enough for him, even if it wasn’t ‘roomy’, per say.

But an okay fit was good enough for the physically & emotionally exhausted, wounded frost dragon. He plopped in the snow before the opening and crawled in. He made his way to the very back, discovering the cave was big enough to hold three of him comfortably. He curled up at the very back and began licking the wound on his foreleg.

The arrow he couldn’t get to right now. Worse yet, because the young beast resolved to hold as still as possible, he couldn’t get to the wound on his flank, as inflicted by the dog. Ah well…he was exhausted…he could figure it out in the morning. And in no time, soft snoring could be heard from the cave.

 

* * *

 

 

If the dragon thought he hadn’t done anything wrong, Kristoff _knew_ he’d done nothing. He’d just been minding his own business—literally, in fact. He was looking around for pond he’d heard tell of from other ice harvesters. Kristoff wanted to check it out for two reasons: 1) to see if it was viable as a quick, small source of ice. Or 2) if, well…if it would serve as a nice, natural ice rink for him and Anna.

Kristoff had left Sven by a couple of trees, handing him a carrot after coaxing a promise to stay put. Poor guy had pulled Kristoff and their mighty fine new sleigh quite the distance. He wanted to give the loyal reindeer a break.

So much for a break for Kristoff. Whatever that giant, fluffy… _thing_ was, it had intended on nearly freezing him! Luckily, it seemed weak, and only coated him with a thick layer of frost. With some rough persuasion, Kristoff managed to break up the frosting around his joints. Though still stiff, at least now he could move.

Kristoff stumbled back to Sven, who looked up at him. Happily at first, but upon noticing the heavy amount of frost, Sven frowned and let out a bleat of concern. Kristoff shook his head and padded Sven’s neck.

“I-it’s o-okay, Sven.” Kristoff assured his friend, unable to keep his voice steady. The frost from the beast wasn’t going away easily, and some of it had actually managed to penetrate his clothing. Then again, the beast _had_ breathed on him, then the frost appeared. Maybe its breath caused the frost, that’d make sense.

_Great, just perfect._ Kristoff fumed, though not enough to warm himself.

He got in the sleigh, and directed Sven to pull them back to Arendelle. Minutes passed, and the frost showed no signs of melting. Kristoff started getting colder and colder. It was soon getting to be a bit much, even for the hardy Bjorgman himself. He encouraged Sven to go faster, the reindeer not arguing and pouring on more speed, having noted the cold, shivering state of his best friend. They had to get back soon.

If they didn’t, Kristoff would freeze to death.


	2. There's A Dragon In The Mountain

Anna was in her room, pacing like a tiger in a cage that was too small. Anyone could tell from her body language she was tense. She had hunched her shoulders, was repeatedly tucking strands of hair behind her ears, and periodically biting her lips as she frowned. Most would question this behavior, as the Princess of Arendelle was known to be quirky and optimistic. But then again, those who knew her well understood exactly why Anna acted the way she presently did.

Kristoff, Ice Master and Deliverer, had yet to return to Arendelle.

Now, Anna knew that his business took him on long, distant trips. Gathering ice was no small task. The trips usually took a three weeks at the least. If they (but mostly she) were especially unlucky, it’d take even longer. It would always be difficult, even if Kristoff was built for it.

With those strong arms, swinging picks to break the ice. His broad chest, no doubt bending in a multitude of ways. His deep, chocolate eyes, scrunched in focus as he worked… Anna shook her head hard, and looked around. Her musings had canceled out her pacing. She blushed, even though no one was around, and swiped another hair behind her ear.

Bottom line, built for it or no, Kristoff should’ve been back by now.

If not because it was his thing, then because this actually wasn’t even a trip for harvesting. It had only been a few months since the Great Thaw. Fall was upon them, or as Anna liked to describe it, “autumn was falling.” Kristoff had gone on this small trip, claiming to be investigating something important. But what it was, the stubborn mountain man had refused to say.

Finally, Anna couldn’t take it anymore. She left her room (and her rut), and headed down the hall to the nearest window. Hands on the windowsill, she leaned forward, as close to the glass as she dared, peering through. From there she could see the castle stables, but, at least from her perspective, there was no sign of Sven.

No Sven, no Kristoff.

Anna took a moment to simmer, then pushed away from the window. She walked down the hall, using as much willpower as she could muster to keep from stomping. Haven’t even been in their relationship that long, and already Kristoff was giving Anna reason to worry.

Anna turned a corner and immediately ran into somebody. Luckily, there was no toppling over, but that was only because the person Anna had collided with managed to keep them both from plummeting. Once she got her balance back, Anna immediately started stammering out apologies.

“I am _so_ sorry! I just, I wasn’t paying attention, little distracted, but I—” She looked up then to see the gentle smile of none other than Kai.

“Kai!” Anna exclaims, perking back up immediately at the mere sight of the faithful man.

Kai chuckled, then brushed Anna off as he released her. He then proceeded to take a step back and bow, “Your highness, I was just searching for you.” Kai rose and continued. “Her majesty, the Queen, has requested your presence in her study. And you might wish to hurry.”

Anna cocked her head, “Why’s that?”

Kai smirked, “Because, milady, she presently has sir’ Krist—”

Kai no sooner finished the first syllable, than Anna rushed off for Elsa’s study. She paused though, and turned back, “Sorry, thank you Kai!” Before rushing off again. Kai merely chuckled and shook his head before continuing with his duties.

Kristoff was back! But what was he doing with Elsa? _Wait, what?_ Anna shook her head as she continued running. It wasn’t weird, per say, but she was surprised. Normally, Kristoff came straight to her upon his return. Why, then, did her first go to Elsa in her study?

Worry started growing in Anna. Did something happen, or go wrong? Was he injured? Wait, no that still wouldn’t explain the study. Anna’s worry was soon overshadowed by her confusion as her pace slowed. Once she neared the door to her sister’s study, she shrugged lightly. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be _that_ bad…could it?

Anna raised a hand to knock, pausing to take a deep breath. Before she could knock, though, she heard voices coming from behind the door. Anna pressed an ear to the door to listen instead of knocking. What compelled her to do so, one can only guess.

“—never s-seen anything l-like it. Came right out of n-nowhere! W-what is it d-doing here?” A voice shivered.

It was Kristoff…why was he shivering?

Anna heard a sigh, and recognized it as Elsa. She heard her sister speak, “I don’t know. It makes no sense for a frost dragon to be—”

Anna gasped at ‘dragon’, and it must’ve been loud, for Elsa immediately stopped speaking. She backed away from the door as she heard footsteps. A sheepish smile was on Anna’s face as the door swung open.

Elsa was the one who opened the door. She sighed and shook her at head the sight before her. Anna merely ducked her head and tried not to look guilty. Though she knew she was failing horribly.

Elsa was fully aware of this as well, and smiled gently. “Anna, good, you’re here.” She said, choosing to forget the fact her younger sister had just eavesdropped. She would tend to that later.

Anna blushed and nodded, “Yeah, I’m here. What is it?”

Elsa lost her smile as concern clouded her face. Understandably, Anna’s worry returned. Elsa turned and walked back into the room, beckoning for her sister to follow. Anna did so, though tentatively, troubled by whatever the issue was. Though she knew as she beheld Kristoff, gasping immediately at the state he was in.

Kristoff sat huddled in one of the chairs, which was scooted towards the fireplace. The feature had barely seen any use, but was filled with burning wood right now. Anna understood why, for Kristoff was mysteriously coated with frost. From head to toe, the shining, white-and-blue crystals were dense! He was still wearing his winter gear, but considering how stiffly Kristoff was frosted, it would be awhile before he could take even a glove off.

 _He looks so cold…_ _Is…is that how_ I _had looked?_ Anna wondered with concern, rightly thinking back to when she was freezing to death.

Anna wasted no more time, running right up to the chair and kneeling in front of it. She put a hand on Kristoff’s knee, ignoring the stark contract between how cold it was as opposed to her own body heat. It scared Anna, though, that she couldn’t feel any heat at all from Kristoff.

Anna shook her head, “What happened? Why are you covered in frost?!”

Kristoff shrugged, or tried to, and also attempted a smile. But all the failed attempts did nothing to reassure Anna. Nor did the fact that it seemed Kristoff could barely form a sentence.

“I-I got c-caught up in the w-w-woods.” He managed. “Th-there was a…” Kristoff shrugged again, “S-some kind o-of _furrrrryy_ …” He shivered extra hard there, extending the word’s length, “…b-beast u-up there. It breathed o-on m-me, and in…in an instant, I-I w-was…”

By this point, Anna couldn’t take it anymore. Kristoff was shivering so hard, it seemed to take him forever to get one word out. Before he or Elsa could protest, Anna jumped up and planted herself on Kristoff’s lap. Both parties were shocked, Elsa even taking a step forward at the sudden action.

“Anna, careful! He’s really cold.” She warned.

Kristoff nodded, and attempted to gently remove Anna from his lap. But she scrunched up her face and shook her head, defiantly—but lovingly—clinging all the tighter to Kristoff.

“No! He needs to get warm!” Anna looked up at Kristoff’s face and gave a small smile. “I can help with that, you know!”

Kristoff smiled, though a spark of concern still dotted his eyes.

The same nearly went for Elsa, who instead had no smile, but a tight line reflecting her worry. She heard a knock on the door and went to answer. It was a servant, come with the blankets Elsa had requested. She thanked the servant, who left with a bow and a muttered, “Your Majesty”.

Elsa returned to the cuddled duo on the chair. She draped all of the blankets on Kristoff, and by stubborn extension, Anna. While Kristoff merely nodded his thanks, Anna smiled up at her, “Thank you, Elsa.”

Elsa could not help at all but smile. She nodded, then walked away towards the study’s window. The observant young queen stared out it, watching the distant trees. She took a few moments to note the wondrous change in color before Anna broke the silence.

“So uh…what was the beast?” She asked. “Didn’t I hear you call it a ‘frost dragon’, Elsa?” She nodded, and Anna continued. “Well, how do you know that?”

Sighing, Elsa looked over her shoulder to see Anna looking at her expectantly. Elsa found herself smirking slightly. Nothing like those eyes of Anna’s, staring holes in you, to make you crack a smile.

“The books in the library,” Elsa explained. “There are many on myths and legends, and one whole book solely dedicated to dragonkind. Used to I never had the strength to keep reading, it was so long.”

Elsa paused as she heard Anna giggle. She smiled again before continuing. “But thankfully, there was a table of contents. One of the chapters listed was titled ‘The Frozen Dragons’. Of course, I couldn’t bring myself to avoid that one.

“In fact, over the years, I’d read it multiple times. When Kristoff described the beast he encountered to me, I recognized its features immediately.”

Elsa turned to face Anna and Kristoff, both of whom had their gazes fixed on her. “Fur as white as now, manes as blue as the thickest ice, and the ability to freeze anything with a single breath.” Elsa sighed, then looked Anna right in the eye, “We are dealing with a young Frost Dragon from the Far North, Anna.”

There was a silence as Elsa allowed the information to sink in. Anna thought about what her older sister said, absently pulling the blankets covering her and Kristoff higher. He in turn shifted to make them more comfortable, since Anna’s compulsive attempt to warm him was actually succeeding. Both, though, stoically ignored the steadily growing dampness resulting.

Finally, Anna spoke, “So…okay, I get _what_ it is now. But,” She leaned up and looked at Kristoff, “Why did the dragon freeze you, then? Did you frighten it, or something?”

Had it been anyone besides Kristoff, Anna probably would’ve asked if any harm to the beast had been attempted. But she doubted Kristoff would’ve attacked the dragon. At least, if only because it seemed to have gotten him first.

Kristoff shrugged and returned Anna’s gaze, “I must have, for honestly, the thing looked shocked to see me. I’d barely said two words before it frosted me.” He paused, trying to remember any other details. Kristoff began to frown as some did come to mind. “Wait…if, if I’m remembering correctly, I think it was wounded.”

This caught Anna’s attention, and she frowned. “It was hurt? Are you sure?”

Kristoff nodded, confident he was recollecting this information correctly. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure. I remember seeing red here and there. When surrounded by snow, and seeing a dragon that’s all white.” Kristoff shrugged, “Unless there’s another explanation that I’m missing, the beast was bleeding from something. That has to be it though, because it makes sense. Not to mention, when I was young, the Ice Harvesters always said that animals tended to attack if they were scared or injured.”

Kristoff looked at Anna, then over at Elsa. “This ‘frost dragon’ as you say, was definitely both.”

After only a moment of silence, Anna purposefully got off of Kristoff’s lap. Taking her time to put the blankets back on him, she turned to Elsa, a determined expression on her face. “Elsa, may I have permission to go up and check on the dragon?”

Elsa frowned, and Kristoff sat up. “Whoa, wait a minute, Anna!” He argued. “It could be dangerous, and for all we know, it’ll heal on its own!” Kristoff looked over at Elsa, no doubt seeking an ally in the argument.

Anna shook her head, fist clenched at her side. “Come on, Kristoff! You don’t even know how injured the dragon is! What if it dies? You said it yourself, it was scared!” Now _Anna_ was looking to Elsa. “Please, Elsa, I’ll be careful, I promise! I just want to check up on it. I won’t be alone, I’ll take Olaf and Sven with me!”

Before Kristoff could protest about Anna taking his best friend into a potentially dangerous situation, Elsa raised a hand to silence him. Out of respect, and because of how much raw authority lay in the gesture, Kristoff stayed quiet.

Elsa took a moment to put her thoughts together, then looked up at her dear sister. “Anna, I don’t want you getting yourself hurt for no reason.” More emotion than intended leaked into Elsa’s voice.

Anna nodded, her expression solemn. “I know.”

“So you’ll be careful, take every precaution?”

“Yes, I swear.”

Kristoff jumped to his feet, abandoning the blankets. He was defrosted enough his fuming as doing a better job. “Then I’m going with you!”

Anna turned to Kristoff and shook her head. “I don’t think so, mister!” She punctuated the ‘mister’ by poking his still frosted chest. “You’re not back to normal just yet, going back out into the cold too soon will not help at all!”

Suddenly, Anna’s expression grew soft, and she placed a calming hand on Kristoff’s shoulder. “I promise I’ll be fine. Don’t you trust me…or Sven?”

Kristoff tried to stop it, but too late, and he smirked at the mentioning of Sven. He had to admit, his reindeer pal would be miffed about being doubted.

_I’m going to regret this…_

Kristoff let out a great sigh, and Anna immediately perked with triumph. Elsa could only suppress a smile as her sister’s reaction.

“Fine, Anna…but you stay safe and hurry back, you hear me?”

Anna smiled, gave a silly salute, and then, standing on her tiptoes, gave Kristoff a peck on the cheek. “You can count on me, I won’t let you down!”

Elsa nodded, “Very well then, let’s get you ready.”

So the two sisters left the room, Kristoff deciding to stay by the fire for a bit longer. It wasn’t long before they were at the stable, Sven happily greeting them as they arrived. Anna scurried up to the sweet reindeer and pet his nose.

“Okay Sven, I—” Anna was momentarily interrupted by Sven licking her hand affectionately. “I know, I love you too.” As Elsa gave orders to the stable hand to tack up Sven, Anna held the reindeer’s gaze.

“I need your help Sven…we’re going on a little excursion…”


	3. Frost Meets Ice Meets Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I almost forgot I was also posting this to AO3...

Anna was having a serious case of déjà vu.

There she was, clad in her winter gear, riding Sven up to the North Mountain with Olaf sitting right behind her. It reminded her a lot of when she went up to find Elsa. Anna sighed. At least this time she wasn’t alone, well, from the beginning, anyway.

Anna felt movement behind, then a small wooden hand on her shoulder. “Hey Anna! I forgot, what are we going back to the mountain for?”

Anna sighed, but had a big smile on her face. When she asked Olaf to come with her, the snowman was so excited, he agreed immediately. Now Anna realized the sweet guy was so focused on the concept of going on a ride with her and Sven, he’d totally glazed over the details she’d laid out.

“I already told you, Olaf!” She giggled, but regardless, reminded him, “We’re going up to check on the frost dragon Kristoff found. It’s hurt, and I want to see if it’s okay.”

“Hurt?!?” Olaf gasped, “No wonder we’re in such a hurry!”

Sven snorted. He himself actually was wondering why Anna kept him at a brisk pace. Personally, Sven wasn’t interested in looking _for_ a possibly carnivorous beast that had nearly frozen his best friend to death. For all they knew, it was hungry! Sven loved Anna, but he was worried about becoming a meal.

Of course, thoughts of the danger were scarce on Anna’s mind. As they passed through trees, passed snow drifts, and ever closer to the mountains, all she could think about was a poor, injured animal out there somewhere…all alone… Anna’s already determined expression grew evermore.

Quite some time passed, the mountains crowded around them, though the trees more so. Sven looked around and frowned. He sniffed the air, then snorted from what he caught, shaking himself. Anna glanced down at him and put a hand on his neck.

“What is it, Sven? We’re uh…we’re not lost…are we?” Anna had been kind of relying on Sven to get them as close to the dragon as possible. She didn’t really have the best strategy to find the thing.

Suddenly she was wondering if it was a mistake to refuse Elsa’s offer to be accompanied by a professional guard. While approving of the trip, her sister still worried over Anna. Anna had declined, reasoning that a group of armed men wouldn’t be the best thing to present a frightened, injured dragon.

Course, the prospect of Anna getting frozen again didn’t appeal to either of the sisters in the slightest. But Anna couldn’t risk the dragon’s safety over her own. None of that would matter, though, if she couldn’t even find the dragon.

Luckily, Sven shook his head, then walked forward a few steps. Nose as close to the ground as he could get it without stooping, he sniffed a bit more. Sven snorted again as he caught a very old scent, bringing his head back quickly.

Anna yelped in surprise, and for a moment, Sven panicked, thinking he’d accidentally struck the girl with his antlers. But Anna merely patted his neck, as if knowing his thoughts and reassuring him otherwise. Sven sighed with relief, then, carefully this time, motioned down at the snow.

Anna tried to look at where Sven was motioning, but couldn’t see from his back. “Hold still, Sven, I’ll hop off.” So she did, and Olaf followed her down.

The snowman walked over to Sven’s head and scratched beneath the reindeer’s chin. Sven’s eyes rolled back into his head as he leaned into the wonderful scratching. “What’d ya find, Sven?!” Olaf asked, excited.

Anna knelt and looked carefully at the snow Sven had motioned towards. At first, she only saw the white powder that gripped tight the immediate area of the mountains, even in fall. Anna looked back at Sven, somewhat skeptical, but deciding not to voice her doubts. Instead, she dug in the snow, wondering if whatever the reindeer smelled had been buried by recent snowfall.

It turned out there was something, and it wasn’t good.

Anna only had to make one scoop before finding something. Breaking through the outermost layer of white snow revealed a more stained section. _Red snow…_ Dread filled Anna as she made another scoop. This one was heavily red, and only revealed more. Dread, and slight nausea, rose quickly in the princess. Anna cringed, dreading what it would be that she’d find.

Behind her, Sven had whimpered and back away immediately upon the show of the blood. The smell frightened him, even if there was nothing else around. Olaf merely stared curiously at the stained powder.

“Hey Anna, what’s that red wet stuff in the snow?” The snowman asked with all the innocence in the world. “And um…why do you look faint?”

The second question caught Anna off guard, and she shook her head. She just then realized the presence of so much blood at once was testing her. She’d never seen so much at once. The only times Anna had ever seen any in her life so far were from nose-bleeds when she was young. Beyond that not much, and _definitely_ not enough to prepare her for this.

Anna looked back at Olaf, trying for a smile, but quickly gave up, “It’s uh…it’s a very important, well, um…’water’ that keeps things like me, Sven, and the dragon alive. If we lose too much, we get very weak, and…and might…”

Olaf patted her back, succeeding with his smile. There was just the right mix of love and concern to ease both Anna’s mind, and stomach. “Don’t worry, Anna, we’ll find the dragon! Everything’ll be alright!”

Anna hoped the sweet snowman was right.

She looked down at the crimson hole in the snow. Just as she was about to fill it and stand, Anna noticed an object in the snow. Reaching and pulling it out, she gasped and dropped it immediately upon recognition. Gloved hands over her mouth, Anna stared at the bloody item in the shallow hole.

It was the snapped off end of an arrow, the fletching on the end ruined from having been pressed by the snow. Olaf had started upon Anna’s reaction, but then immediately put his hands on her shoulders.

“Anna! It’s okay! What, is the weird stick bad? Olaf inquired.

Anna, hands still on her mouth, nodded. Gulping down a combination of utter fear and maybe a smidgen of bile, she stood and back away from the ugly hole. Anna rushed to mount Sven, pulling a still lost Olaf onto the reindeer with her.

Anna patted Sven’s neck, “Sven, I know you don’t like it, but I need you to follow the—” She faltered, “…the blood. It has to belong to the dragon. Please hurry Sven!”

Sven nodded, his fear of being eaten presently overruled by his wish to make Anna feel better. It was plain as day she was only growing more and more worried for the frost dragon. Hearing of injuries was one thing. But seeing an excess of them was completely another.

Sven continued his sprint, going as fast as he could while still smelling for more blood. Constantly getting whiffs of the ghastly smell into his nose caused Sven’s instincts to threaten to turn him around. But every time Sven hesitated, Anna would rub his neck, and his resolve would return.

Minutes went by as they tracked the dragon, the trail bringing them closer and closer to the mountains. Before long, they were right on top of the rocky spires, but Sven kept going closer. Just as Anna was thinking Sven would ram into the mountain side, she spotted a cave.

“Sven,” She whispered, but he didn’t seem to hear her. “Sven slow down. Hey! Stop!” Anna whisper-yelled at him. That got the reindeer’s attention, and he stopped looking back at her curiously. She pointed at the cave and Sven followed her finger. He wilted as he spotted the subject.

Anna patted his neck, muttering comforts to Sven as the dismounted. Olaf stayed on Sven this time, but scooted forward, closer to the reindeer’s head.

“Ooh, a cave!” He exclaimed.

Anna cringed, then hushed Olaf. She looked back at the cave, worried she’d she the dragon charging out at them. Anna sighed with relief at first, but then her breath caught. What if…what if it wasn’t coming out was because it was too injured? Or worse…

Anna picked Olaf off Sven and onto the ground, then whispered in the reindeer’s ear. “Sven, I need you to stay absolutely put, got it?”

Sven snorted and shook his head defiantly. Then Anna pulled a carrot out of her pockets. He started at it for a long time before glaring at her. Anna sighed, “I’ll be careful, I promise, just stay put!” Sven kept the glare for a bit, reaching forward to absently nibble the carrot into her mouth.

Anna patted the reindeer’s head. She took a bag of medical supplies off Sven’s saddle and putting it on her shoulder before creeping towards the cave. Blessedly, Olaf snuck alongside her, possibly realizing Anna’s desire to stay concealed. He wasn’t quite sure why, but if it made Anna more comfortable, then all the better for it.

The closer the pair got to the cave, the more sounds they could hear emanating from it. At first, it just sounded like heavy, but steady, breathing. But before long, hitches in the breathing happened, whines and whimpers echoing out after them. With everyone, Anna cringed, her record for being worried broken every second. Even Olaf sobered at the noises.

The pair stopped at the cave’s opening, peering passed the rock into its depths. They could barely see a thing, but the very faint outline of a silhouette could be made out thanks to the frost dragon’s white fur. Anna leaned forward, keeping out of the cave while trying to see the inside better. It wasn’t working very well.

Olaf though, found a solution; he just sauntered right in.

Anna didn’t notice till Olaf entered her stare. She gasped, reaching for him and calling his name as loudly as he dared. The snowman either didn’t hear, or chose not to. Olaf stopped at the edge of the light that had angled itself into the cave.

“Hello!” He called, wooden hands cupping at his mouth. “Hello in there! I’m Olaf, and I like warm hugs!”

Suddenly, dense shifting could be heard. Anna froze as two eyes opened, glowing from light reflecting of the dragon’s pupils. She could see its head a bit better, but since it remained in the shadows, not very well. As faint growling drifted towards Anna, she tensed, worried the frost dragon would attack Olaf.

Olaf, of course, was unfazed, and merely waved a hand. “Hi there! I heard from a buddy that you got hurt. Is it okay if I and my friend helped you out?”

Anna saw the eyes narrow, and heard a snort. Strangely, the growling morphed into an odd, shallow breathing. It took Anna a few moments to realize the dragon was smelling the air. After a couple dozen sniffs, the dragon snorted again, and whimpered. But this one was different. It sounded…curious?

Anna started as the dragon’s head quickly came into view, but almost immediately calmed. The fuzzy, but still fierce beast she’d been imagining…looked, well… _cute!_ The horse-like head was thick with fur, a bright teal mane falling over its large, intelligent eyes. Two saber teeth stuck out from under its fluffy upper lip, but somehow, that only added to the cuteness. Even sweeter were the horsey ears, perked forward in intrigue, fuzzy turquoise tufts hanging off the ends.

Olaf’s reaction was much the same, as a big smile exploded on his face. “Wow, you’re so cute!”

He skipped towards the dragon’s head, and for a moment, Anna felt a flash of worry. The dragon could still attack. But it didn’t, it merely stared at Olaf as he approached its nose. The dragon’s snout alone was as large, or larger, than Olaf’s whole body. Regardless, the snowman began patting the dragon on the nose.

As the dragon sniffed Olaf a couple more times, Anna watched in shocked amazement as an enormous smile brightened the dragon’s face. Its eyes grew wide with joy, its ears perked ever more than earlier. The beast started nuzzling Olaf, for goodness’ sake! The snowman giggled with glee as the dragon loved on him so, increasing his own amount to match.

Anna guard swiftly fell. She smiled as she stood, and very slowly, made her way into the cave. The moment Anna took one step, the dragon’s eyes flicked towards her immediately. Anna watched in surprise as the joy shifted into fear, and the dragon lifted its head away from Olaf. The whines from before returned, fearful this time.

Anna froze in place, barely two steps into the cave. Olaf’s smile had wilted, but a grin remained. “Hey! Hey fluffy! It’s okay, it’s alright!” The snowman tried to make his voice as calm and placating as he could. “This is my friend, Anna! I promise she’s nice too! She wants to make you feel better!”

The dragon looked down at Olaf. For the life of her, Anna could’ve sworn she saw pure, unabridged _understanding_ in its eyes. Could it comprehend human speech? It seemed so, as when the frost dragon returned its gaze to Anna, it was warier this time than fearful.

Anna lifted her hands and crept even more slowly into the cave. She made shushing sounds, and spoke gently to the dragon, “Shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay… I’m not here to hurt you, I’m a friend. I know you’re hurt.”

The dragon’s eyes twitched, as if in affirmation.

Anna pursed her lips and continued, still getting closer. “I’d like to help you feel better… I brought some stuff to make your wounds heal… May I help you?”

Anna was amazed yet again as the frost dragon looked to Olaf, as if asking something. By this point, Anna stood next to the snowman, who spoke, “It’s alright, big guy! Anna’s really nice! She’s a very good friend of mine! So is her sister and Sven!”

The dragon seemed to take solace in Olaf’s words, and dared to get closer. Anna swept her gaze over the dragon as it edged its way into the light. It was quadruped, its paws just as poofy as the rest of it. The paws had four digits each, the claws as icy and blue as its mane. Speaking of which, stretches of fur thicker than the rest, like extra manes, covered the back of its neck, halfway down its back, and over its shoulders. There was even a strip on its underbelly!

The dragon only took three steps before flinching, a yelp escaping as it collapsed before Olaf and Anna. The pair started, concerned for the dragon, and rushing to its head. While Olaf proceeded to pet and comfort the dragon, Anna remained standing. She looked over the dragon’s body for injuries.

It was lying on its left side, and Anna could tell why. Its right forearm was injured, a gap in its fur testifying to the gash that was inflicted. The stained fur helped denote its location. As Anna slowly approached this wound, her eyes traveled to its shoulder. She gasped, hand flying to her mouth, as she saw the rest of the arrow embedded in its right shoulder. More blood stained its fur, travelling halfway down its upper arm.

Anna deduced then what must have happened to the arrow. The dragon must have attempted leaving its cave, and at some point, the arrow broke, disturbing the wound and bringing forth more—

Anna stopped her deducing, gulping hard. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. If she was going to help the dragon, she couldn’t allow herself to be squeamish. Anna shook herself hard, a fierce look of determination on her face. She was going to help this frost dragon if it was the last thing she did.

Anna looked the dragon right in the eye. It must’ve felt her gaze, for it met it. As it did, she gave it the warmest smile she possibly could, taking strength from the comfort it seemed to give the dragon.

Then, without further ado, Anna lifted her bag of medical supplies off her shoulder and got to work.


	4. Anna the Amateur Phoenix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I legitimately keep forgetting I have an AO3 account, lol.

The frost dragon had indeed tried to leave his cave prior to Anna’s arrival. That day, he had felt especially rested, and his wounds hadn’t flared in some time. Joy had risen in the beast’s heart, too, when he made so much distance.

But it wasn’t meant to last. Around where Anna had found the broken arrow, the gash on the dragon’s forearm flared when a little too much pressure had been placed. The dragon had cringed and fallen on his right side. Of course, this snapped the arrow upon collision with the ground.

The young beast nearly screamed at the horrendous experience of the arrow breaking. It had hurt so much, it took what little willpower remained not to let out a long, loud, _pained_ wail. He’d immediately slinked back to the cave, despair gripping his heart even harder than had before.

The frost dragon couldn’t travel barely a mile from the cave. How was he supposed to make it to the source of the foreign ice magic? It was close, but still so far… The scent he’d caught after the dog had downed him had all but vanished. Where had it come from? Did it waft passed his nostrils by chance, or by fate?

If by fate, then fate was cruel. The young dragon couldn’t make it to the source of the magic. His wounds would take days, maybe weeks to heal, especially considering how low his energy was. And till then, how was he to sustain himself?

The beast had all but given up when a small, living snowman had approached him in his cave, greeting the frost dragon without a second thought. The dragon had gazed curiously at the phenomenon. It was made of snow, he could tell. But it was alive, moving, talking.

The words the snowman caught in the dragon’s ears. It was there to help him? His past experiences scorned such claims as growls vibrated in his chest. But the snowman’s tone was as pure as the snow he was made from. If he was lying, there truly was no hope.

The dragon narrowed his eyes, still wary. To be safe, he began smelling the air, checking for any dangers that scents would reveal. What came to his nose, he was not expecting at all.

He smelled it again…ice magic, the very magic he was looking for, why he’d come this far south.

The dragon snorted, then whimpered curiously. He stretched his neck, bringing his head closer to the snowman and within range of the light to get a closer look. His ears were at attention, reflecting his curiosity.

When the snowman exclaimed happily and came closer, the dragon didn’t move. As the snowman patted his nose, the dragon took the opportunity to sniff some more, trying to make certain he’d smelled correctly.

He had indeed. The snowman smelled _exactly_ like the ice magic he’d come to this land to find. But he could tell the snowman wasn’t the source, merely a result. Hope and curiosity filled the dragon so quickly, and with such great amount, a smile burst onto his face. He nuzzled the snowman as hard as he dared, overjoyed at finding living proof of his mission.

Maybe there was hope after all…

But just as hope arose, fear must’ve gotten jealous.

The dragon heard the crunch of a footstep in snow, and looked up. He spotted a human, and with the blink of an eye, his emotions flipped.

 _No…no, no!_ _Not another human!_

He panicked, his thoughts translating verbally into whines. Why, why couldn’t they just leave him alone?

He was just about to stand tall, snarl maybe, and do anything to get rid of the accursed human. He didn’t care if it was a female instead of a male like the others he’d encountered. No doubt, she’d be just like the others. But before his expression could change in the slightest, the snowman spoke again.

The dragon looked down at the snowman, Olaf, didn’t he say earlier? Olaf assured him the girl, Anna, was nice and wanted to heal him. He looked back at the girl, confusion tempering his fear to wariness. The beast knew he could trust Olaf, after all, he was a magical creature too, and of snow to boot.

But…could he _really_ trust this girl?

As if noticing his change in emotion, Anna started approaching, also trying to calm the frost dragon. He twitched his ears upon mention of hurt. It was all too true…

_You don’t how hurt I am…_

Anna asked if she could help, and conflicted as he was, the beast couldn’t decide. He looked down to Olaf again, seeking help. When the snowman assured him Anna was nice, he started to calm. Olaf proceeded to mention two others for seemingly no reason, but upon the word ‘sister’, the dragons’ gaze hardened carefully.

_‘Sister’…that’s, that’s family… I had one of those…_

Calmed and intrigued at the same time, the dragon crept closer to Olaf, further into the light. The small part of him not confused or wary found amusement in Anna’s expressions as she beheld him. She was the first to look upon him and not see a beast or a mark.

_She has family too, she knows this magical snowman, and…and she’s not scared of me?_

But the dragon’s musings were cut off as his wounds flared, _again!_ He yelped, flinching as he collapsed, managing to fall on his left instead this time.

_Blast those hunters! Blast all humans, they—_

He stopped cursing humans as he heard and felt Olaf and Anna come closer. While the snowman tried to comfort him, the dragon assumed the girl was looking him over. He heard a gasp, she must’ve been horrified by his injuries.

Injuries…other humans caused…

The dragon opened his eyes and looked at the girl. They widened a bit as he saw a completely different expression than he was expecting. Suddenly, Anna, who had gasped upon sight of his injuries, had one of the most determined faces he’d seen since the hunters first caught him.

He closed his eyes in thought, and pain. Maybe she _was_ here to hurt him…wasn’t that why humans made that face? When they wanted something dead or hurt? The dragon felt Anna’s gaze, and looked to meet it. He was shocked to see her give a smile as warm as the sun.

Against his better, even if single-minded, judgment, the dragon took comfort from the girl’s smile. She readied her pack, no doubt filled with medicinal supplies, and approached the gash on his forearm.

 

* * *

 

 

As Anna approached the gash, she thanked the Court Physician for the book she pulled out of her bag first. She’d read the parts she needed—or assumed she needed—first. Mostly the ones about tending cuts such as the one was on the dragon’s forearm. A brief wave of nausea threatened to undermine Anna’s good intentions before she stamped it down. She refused to fail the poor dragon, something with which he could outright see in Anna’s eyes.

Going through all the procedures the book entailed actually wasn’t that hard. As long as Anna didn’t think about it, she did a decent job tending the wound on the dragon’s forearm. Granted, despite the efforts Anna put into it, the dragon seemed to regard her with a cold indifference.

But even as Anna proved helpful in the beast’s healing, the entire time, she kept getting this weird feeling about its wounds. From the instructions and illustrations in the book, even wounds such as those upon the dragon should’ve made _some_ progress in healing themselves. Even if only an hour had gone by, if the dragon had held still most of the time, there should’ve been change.

Once Anna finished with the slash on the dragon’s forearm—cleaned and wrapped—she pulled out another book from her pack. This one was as big as the Physician’s book, but a lot thicker. On the hard cover was a swirling pattern resembling a dragon.

It was the Book of Dragons Elsa had mentioned.

Checking the page number in the table of contents, Anna flipped swiftly through the pages till she came to the chapter about ice dragons. It didn’t take her long to find the right one, but she was surprised to find multiple kinds of cold-related dragons.

The Frost Dragon illustration did resemble the beast before her, but Anna could tell the image was of an older one. She saw now why Elsa stated it was a young frost dragon. The one in the book was larger and fiercer looking, it’s manes larger and covering more parts of it. The antlers were different, as well, branching farther and wider than with the younger beast.

As she read, Olaf still petting the dragon, Anna finally found what she was looking for. Regardless, the information shocked and intrigued her.

_“Frost Dragons are beasts filled with more magic than the rest of their dragon brethren. Known mostly for the freezing breath, they are also noted for being the kindest of their species, if the most jealous with their adorations.”_

_Interesting,_ Anna thought, _but not exactly what I’m looking for._ She skimmed, noting an interesting _‘ ~~Extremely dangerous, kill on sight~~ ’_, until she found it.

_“When heavily wounded, and tired to the point of exhaustion, Frost Dragons lose much of their ‘inner magic’. While still a mystery, even to the most perceptive dragon trainer, it is understood that a Frost Dragon’s recovery processes are severely lessened when their magic is low. The only known method of counteracting this is either with months of undisturbed hibernation—a nigh on impossible feat—or by being healed by an outside source of magic. Preferably ice magic similar to their own.”_

By the last sentence, Anna’s eyes were as wide as saucers. So there _was_ something wrong with the dragon! Anna looked up at its face, right in the eye. It didn’t seem especially exhausted, but then again, it didn’t seem to be enjoying her presence either. For all Anna knew, the dragon was keeping something from her.

Just like Elsa used to do…

 _Elsa…_ Anna gasped.

Elsa! Of course! Only an outside source of more ice magic would restore a fatigued Frost Dragon. There weren’t any other sources of such power nearby beyond her sister. Anna guessed they could instead figure out how to keep the young dragon safe and undisturbed so it could hibernate. But the similarities she’d begun noting between the frost dragon and her sister started getting her curious.

Anna replaced the two books in her bag, then stood, looking over at Olaf. “Olaf, I have an idea, and I need to ask you a favor.”

Olaf smiled and nodded, “Sure! What is it, what’s your idea?”

“The dragon is tired,” Anna gestured towards said dragon, who glowered at her. “I think he needs help from some ice magic.”

Olaf shrugged, “Where are we going to get something like that?”

Anna looked at him, eyebrows raised. Olaf soon smiled and started hopping. “Oh! Oh, of course! Duh! Ice magic like Elsa’s! Right?!”

Anna smiled and nodded, “Exactly. I’m going to go back to the castle and see if I can convince her to come out here.” She crossed her arms and thought hard, “It’s going to be tricky, though… Elsa is the queen, after all. We wouldn’t want anyone to ask where she was going and stumble across Fluffy here on accident.”

Using ‘Fluffy’ as a nickname got the dragon’s attention, as he scowled at her. Anna merely smiled and shrugged, returning her attention to Olaf. “Do you think you can keep an eye on him till I get back?”

Olaf nodded vigorously, “You can count on me, Anna!”

Anna grinned, then looked back at the dragon. He was still staring at her, eyebrows bunched up in a minor scowl. Anna’s grin dissipated at the passive hostility, worried her slowly forming plan would fail.

 _It’ll work!_ She reminded herself. _They’re exactly the same, there’s no way it will fail… I hope…_

 

* * *

 

 

Over half an hour following Anna’s decision to return, Elsa was sitting at her desk. She was leafing through paperwork; treaties, notes, letters, trade agreements. Some of the fourth were stubborn attempts by Weselton to reinstate trade. Elsa always froze those solid, setting them aside till she was done.

It was a mild frustration, their constant attempts to get trade going again. Though not as annoying as the multitude of apologies sent from the Southern Isles.

 _You already said it once…why the repetition?_ Elsa had always wondered with a frown.

Last time she got one it was the sixth, only a week away from the one before. As Elsa read it, Anna had been present.

“Maybe the other twelve princes are taking turns saying sorry.” She’d joked. Elsa couldn’t stop a smirk, and eventually, both sisters had gotten caught in giggling fits.

But today, the annoyances were all the more grating on her nerves. Maybe it was because of the constant repetition… Maybe Elsa was just in a mood… Or maybe her baby sister was relatively alone in the wild mountains, searching for a potentially dangerous beast that could—

Elsa stood abruptly from her seat, the chair nearly falling over. Frost was steadily accumulating on her desk, and the lightest of snows sprinkled in the room. She walked over to her window for the third time and looked out it. It had been a while, maybe a couple of hours, since Anna left on her mission. Elsa frowned, having a hard time fighting off her worry.

Just then, Elsa heard a knock on her door. “Yes?” She called.

“Your Majesty,” It was Gerda. “I have urgent news, may I come in?”

Elsa wasted no time, walking up to the door and opening it herself. She nodded, and stood aside to let the loyal, long-time servant in. As Gerda entered, Elsa closed the door carefully and turned back to her.

“What is it, Gerda?” She demanded. “Is Anna alright, has she returned?”

Gerda nodded, discretely noticing the early winter starting in the Queen’s study. “Yes your Majesty, she has, and she is fine.”

Elsa let out a sigh of relief, only for it to catch as she noticed Gerda’s expression. Then she remembered, the news was urgent. “Then what’s the matter?”

Gerda looked Elsa in the eye, “The princess requests your assistance regarding the dragon.” Elsa’s eyes widened fractionally, but she waited for Gerda to continue. “She is waiting for you at the rear gate, and has requested this to be a quiet mission.”

Elsa frowned, thinking hard. Anna had come back to bring her to the dragon? Why? What could possibly be wrong that— Elsa frowned harder as a tidbit of information from the Frost Dragon article arose from memory. Anna had been gone for some time, only to return for Elsa…was it possible the dragon had need of her?

Whatever the case, Anna needed Elsa’s help with the Frost Dragon. She wasn’t about to let her sister down, especially since the princess had shown wonderful foresight. Asking for this to be kept quiet was a smart move. A spark of pride lit in Elsa as she refocused on Gerda.

“Understood, thank you, Gerda. Please send for my horse to be brought to the rear gate. With discretion, of course.”

Gerda nodded, “Of course, milady. I shall do so at once.” Then left the room with a bow.

Upon the servant’s exit, Elsa left the study as well, pausing only to dispel the miniature winter she’d made. She made her way purposefully to her room, where she changed into the most discreet outfit the young queen had at her disposal. Throwing a cloak over her shoulders for good measure, Elsa left for the rear gate.

 _Time to meet this dragon of legend…_ Elsa mused as she approached the castle’s rear gate. It was the same one she’d fled out of at her coronation. The thought stilled Elsa, but her purpose kept her going. Elsa passed through the gate to see Anna staring out across the fjord to the mountains, Sven and the queen’s horse standing beside her.

Anna turned upon hearing Elsa approach and smiled. Elsa frowned slightly, for she saw a scheming glint in her sister’s eye.


	5. Destiny's Frozen Collision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Easily my favorite part of this chapter is how perfectly I tied the beginning line to the end. ;3

“What?” Elsa immediately demanded. Her sister’s sweet but almost sly expression was unnerving.

Anna blinked, looking confused for a second before looking away sheepishly. So she _was_ scheming something… Elsa eyed Anna as she stood next to her. She kept said gaze until Anna started squirming and waved a hand.

“N-nothing, it’s nothing.” Anna cleared her throat and rolled her shoulders, regaining a more upbeat posture. “Now come on! We need to get to the dragon, he’s in a cave on the mountain.”

Elsa eyed Anna for one second longer before looking up at the mountains beyond the fjord. The familiar image caused her to frown a little. But what really got Elsa frowning was a question, “How do you expect us to get there from here?”

Anna cringed a little, then gestured towards the water. “I was uh, thinking you could make a bridge to the other side.”

Elsa looked at the water and sighed. One of her arms rose and wrapped itself around her waist. She managed to keep the other one down, but her fist clenched.

“Are you sure?” Elsa asked, uncertainty pricking her voice. “Last time I crossed the fjord, I froze the kingdom.”

Anna smiled gently and put a hand on Elsa’s shoulder. “Don’t worry so much, Elsa! You’ve gotten so good at using your powers since then.” Anna shrugged, “And hey, I can understand if you’re not up to it. Making a bridge oughta be tough, huh…”

Elsa could hear, and see, the ornery teasing her sister was pulling. Despite her best attempts to not let herself fall for it, Elsa found herself rubbing her hands together, a determined expression on her face. She slowly, purposefully raised a hand in the direction they wanted to go. In no time at all, a bridge of ice formed, connecting the small isle the castle was on to the coast of the fjord on the other side.

Anna smiled and nudged Elsa, “See, I knew you could do it.”

Before Elsa could reply, Sven walked up to the bridge curiously. He tested it with a hoof; it didn’t slide, and the ice was stable. Smiling, the reindeer hopped around and looked at Elsa and Anna. Both sisters giggled at the performance.

“Looks like someone’s ready to go.” Elsa chuckled.

Anna nodded, “He’s not the only one, come on.”

As the two mounted their respective steeds, Anna motioned Sven next to Elsa’s horse. “Hey, nice bridge, sis.”

Elsa looked over at Anna, returning the smile her sister had. No one believed in her quite like the little sun that was sitting on the reindeer. Nodding her thanks, Elsa spurred her horse onto the ice bridge.

The handsome quarter horse stepped tentatively on the ice bridge at first. But when Sven strutted past, undaunted by the material of the bridge, anxiety melted in the face of rivalry. Elsa suppressed a chuckle as her horse, Romeo, quickly caught up with Sven. She’d name the sweet thing after a character from one of her favorite stories. It seemed to perfectly fit the nearly all brown beast. The brown only marred by a white stripe on his face.

It took a minute, but before long they had reached the other side. They paused, Elsa willing the bridge to vanish, before they continued the trek up into the mountains.

Sometime later, they were half way there and snow and trees surrounded them. Elsa was sitting straight-backed and tight-lipped in her saddle, hands gripping the reins tight. She was a tad nervous about the meeting before her. Obviously, it wasn’t as dangerous as she had initially anticipated, as Anna had returned in one piece. But then it occurred to her, where was Olaf? Had the magical beast attacked and found some way to harm the precious snowman?

“He’s not that bad, you know.”

Elsa nearly jumped out of Romeo’s saddle as Anna spoke. She swung her head towards her sister, whom had balked at the reaction she elicited.

“Oh, um, sorry, so sorry!” Anna stammered.

Elsa sighed, using it to expel what tenseness Anna hadn’t accidentally scared out. She returned her gaze to Anna, “It’s, it is fine, Anna. I was just a little tense.”

Anna scoffed before slamming her mouth shut, hands flying to it. “Whoops, sorry. It’s just,” She chuckled, “Elsa, you looked as tight as a drawn bowstring! I promise, the dragon’s not that bad! You were actually right about a lot.”

Elsa raised an eyebrow curiously, “Really? What exactly was I right about?”

“The dragon, he’s a young one, for sure. I uh, I’d borrowed the Dragon Book just in case. Remember when you said it was a ‘young’ Frost Dragon?”

Elsa nodded.

“Well, you were right. Not only is he not that big, but the picture in the article was a lot different. This one doesn’t have as big a frame of antlers, or sharp as teeth or anything. He’s only, oh…10…15 feet tall?” Anna shrugged helplessly, “Honestly I don’t know, I’m not very good at guesses like that.”

Anna blushed, but Elsa smiled gently. “It’s quite alright, Anna. Estimations like that can be difficult sometimes.”

Anna smiled back, and they continued in silence for a few minutes. It wasn’t long before the towering mountains grew even more so. Elsa gazed up at their snow-capped peaks in hushed respect. She absently wondered how her old ice palace was doing. It’d been so long…

Elsa’s reveries were halted as she could’ve sworn she’d heard a faint howl. Immediately put on edge, she began scouring the trees around her and Anna, worried there were wolves about. Elsa looked over at Anna, expecting to either see worry or a similar alertness. Instead, she beheld confusion, causing her own expression to match.

“Anna, what do you suppose that was?” Elsa asked, “Are there wolves nearby?”

Anna frowned and shook her head, “I don’t think so…I and Kristoff had come across wolves once, and their howling sounded different. That one sounded…deeper…”

Suddenly Anna gasped, and instructed Sven to start running. Elsa stared after her in surprise for only a moment before spurring Romeo into a canter. The muffled howl must’ve been from the dragon, why else would Anna be rushing to the cave? But what would it be howling for, though…

By the time Elsa had caught up with Anna, her sister had already dismounted. She was cautiously stepping into the cave, calling to whoever, or whatever, was inside.

“Olaf! Hey, are you in there? How’s Fluffy doing?”

Two sounds responded: an irritated sounding growl, and an excited exclamation. “Anna’s back!”

It was Olaf.

Elsa sighed in relief. There went her Olaf-got-hurt scenario.

The precious snowman came bounding out of the cave, a big smile on his face, as usual. Elsa pulled Romeo to a stop as Olaf approached Anna.

“He’s just fine!” Olaf assured, “But he said he doesn’t like being called ‘Fluffy’.”

A definitive snort came from within the cave. The two sisters barely noticed, though, for they were too busy frowning at Olaf’s words. Elsa dismounted and walked up to him, “Wait, what did you say, Olaf?” She asked, “The dragon… _spoke?_ ”

Olaf frowned in thought, a wooden hand to his chin. “I think so…” He shrugged, regaining a brighter demeanor, then stated cheerfully, “I have no idea, I just know he doesn’t like being called Fluffy.”

This time a grunt echoed from the cave, drawing Elsa’s gaze. From outside the cave, she couldn’t see the beast within. She pursed her lips, hesitating. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over. It was Anna.

“Go on,” She said. “He won’t hurt you, I promise. Not when you’re just like him.”

Elsa frowned, but nodded. Anna had a point, both she and the dragon had ice magic. Maybe that would calm him down, keeping him from attacking.

Elsa took a deep breath and nodded. She started into the cave, and as she got closer, two lights shone. She quickly recognized them as eyes.

 _So the book was right…_ Elsa absently mused. _They have reflective eyes like a cat’s._

Just as she was within the cave, Elsa halted upon hearing faint growling. When it didn’t fade, she looked back at Anna, an eyebrow raised in question. Her sister merely shrugged at first, but then brightened as some realization struck her. Anna knelt and whispered to Olaf, who nodded with a smile and joined Elsa in the cave.

He grinned up at the dragon and spoke, “Hey buddy! It’s okay, this is Anna’s sister that I mentioned to you earlier! She’s also nice, one of the warmest people ever!”

Elsa frowned, maybe even blushed a little, at Olaf’s description of her. She wasn’t too sure of that, but decided not to discount Olaf’s claims before a possibly dangerous beast.

Said beast narrowed its eyes, then approached them. Elsa felt any tenseness or caution melt as she viewed the dragon. Even for being a youth, he already had a grand appearance to him, accentuated by his defined musculature. But what got Elsa the most were his eyes, which—now that they weren’t glowing—were a deep blue. She also noticed the emotion in them.

The dragon wasn’t happy to see a human. But as he looked over at Olaf, Elsa noticed that he _was_ happy to see the snowman.

 _Magic must have an easier time taking to magic,_ Elsa figured. _Wait…_

Elsa continued her approach, causing the dragon to return his hardened glare to her. But as she approached, Elsa slowly raised her hands. Taking in a deep breath, she let a string of frost and snowflakes trail from her fingertips as she let it out. The dragon’s gaze hardened further, but this time, what looked like shock.

Elsa then brought her hands together, twirling them over one another, causing a shining sphere of magic to form between them. She held it up for the dragon to see, and see he did. The dragon crept forward carefully, almost gently, as if he were afraid of something. Elsa remained firm, awaiting the dragon’s next action. Behind her, Anna and Olaf were watching, their breaths withheld in anticipation.

The dragon’s nose reached Elsa’s sphere, and he began sniffing it. Not three sniffs later, the dragon gasped, surprising Elsa. She was mostly surprised by how nearly human it sounded. But even more shocking was the look the dragon gave her.

As Elsa looked into the dragon’s eyes…she noticed they were glistening. All of a sudden, the dragon started crying. He collapsed, causing the ground to shake a little. He pressed the length of his horse-like head against Elsa. The sphere that had been in Elsa’s hands vanished as the dragon’s head collided with it—and Elsa, for that matter.

Slightly put off by the sudden move, Elsa slowly, uncertainly put her arms around the dragon’s snout. She was easily able to hold width of the beast’s muzzle in her arms, with length enough left to grip her own forearms.

The dragon was shaking as he cried, and for the life of her, Elsa couldn’t fathom why. Why was he crying? Regardless, he was crying hard, breath hitching and whines echoing in his throat.

Presently unable to tell, she merely stood there holding him. She absentmindedly rubbed the underside of his muzzle with one hand, his scruffy jaw with the other. Due to the dragon’s position, Elsa found her faced pressed against his forelock. It wasn’t nearly as course as a horse’s, like she’d assumed it’d be.

Strangely, as she focused on comforting the beast, Elsa felt the strangest sensation. Her body tingled where it met the dragon, and a warm impression beneath her collarbone.

It wasn’t long before Elsa felt someone walk up behind her.

“Wow…” She heard Olaf whisper in awe. “He _never_ did anything like that when he saw me…”

“Yeah…” Anna said in an equally awed whisper, “When he saw Olaf, the big guy nearly nuzzled him to death. But with you—wait, is he…?”

Elsa looked back at Anna and nodded, her eyes still widened by astonishment. “Yes, Anna…the dragon is crying.”

Anna’s jaw dropped, and she shook her head.

Elsa felt the dragon stir in her arms, and returned her gaze to him. He’d managed to stop crying long enough to open his eyes and look her in hers.

_—for you for so long…_

Elsa frowned, then looked back at Anna. “Anna, did you say something?”

Anna frowned and shook her head, “No…why?”

Elsa didn’t answer, but looked down at Olaf. “Olaf, did you?”

Olaf smiled and shook his head. “Nope, the dragon did, though.”

Both girls stared at Olaf; Elsa in shocked silence, Anna outright going, “Wait, what?”

Undaunted by their surprise, Olaf, still smiling, pointed to the dragon. “He said it! Why, didn’t you guys hear him?”

Elsa looked back at the dragon, but he had closed his eyes again. “…I…I think I heard him…”

Anna crossed her arms, thinking, “Well this is weird…only you and Olaf can hear the dragon—Olaf, are you sure it can talk?”

He nodded, still undisturbed by the discovery. “Positive.”

_Anna thinks I can’t talk, typical._

Elsa started, and looked back at the dragon.

“Whoa, Elsa, did he say something again?” Anna asked.

Elsa nodded, lightly glaring at the dragon’s still closed eyes. She then let go of his snout and stepped back, causing him to look at her. The beast had the nerve to look confused. Elsa beckoned to Olaf, who waddled up to her.

“Olaf, may I ask a favor?”

Olaf nodded, “Of course, what?”

“Go outside and check Sven and Romeo, if you would.”

Olaf nodded again and saluted, “You can count on me!” Then left to accomplish the task.

After he left, Anna stood next to Elsa, her arms still crossed. “He just said something not nice, didn’t he?” She asked.

Elsa nodded, “It would appear that you’re the only one he doesn’t like.”

Finally, Elsa looked over the dragon to check on his injuries, no longer being distracted. She noticed the bandaging on his right forearm. It was well wrapped, she’d have to remember this.

“Excellent wrapping, Anna.” Elsa said with a smile. “His bandage looks nigh on professional.”

Anna blushed, and tucked a hair behind her ear. “What? Nah, I just, it’s rough, nothing special.”

“Nonsense,” Elsa retorted, “The Physician would be proud.”

During this banter, Elsa noted the dragon staring at them out of the corner of her eye. She heard him speak again, whatever voice he had barely a whisper.

 _It’s true…they are family…m-maybe that Anna girl_ is _worth a shot…_

Elsa resisted the urge to smile as she walked past the dragon’s head, examining his other wounds. She noted the broken arrow and stained fur of his shoulder. Then, down farther, she froze upon sight of the dragon’s flank. Multiple gashes, and even something akin to bite marks, covered the once white expanse, which was marred with crimson.

Elsa heard Anna follow her, and could almost feel her sister’s pain. “Yeah I…I had wanted to get to these, but um…”

When she looked back at her sister, Elsa noted a mixture of shame, guilt and…was that nausea? Elsa smiled gently and put a hand on Anna’s shoulder. “It’s alright, this was your first time around such injuries.”

When Anna returned the smile, Elsa’s expression sobered slightly, “It’s my first time, too…” She whispered.

Anna’s eyes narrowed slightly and she nodded. The sisters both returned their gazes to the dragon’s wounds. They’d only been staring for a minute when the dragon brought his head around, nosing Elsa’s hand like a dog seeking comfort, and succeeding.

Elsa felt the odd tingling again, and looked down at the young frost dragon. His expression was masked, but she as easily able to note some need in his eyes. Elsa let some magic leak from her fingers, causing frost to creep onto the beast’s fur.

Both parties shivered without even noticing.

Anna smiled, “I knew it. He likes you.”

_Surely, Anna, you’re smarter than I’d thought._

Elsa raised an eyebrow the dragon, who stared back innocently.

_…what?_


	6. Dragon Thoughts and Dark Schemes

If he were asked, the young frost dragon would never admit to the purpose of his howling. In fact, the howl that caught Anna and Elsa’s attention was not alone. The beast had made several noises. The reason—of which his pride would deny—was he was playing with Olaf.

But they weren’t playing the entire time…

Not moments after Anna had left to fetch her sister, much to the dragon’s indifferent confusion, Olaf had begun pelting him with questions. Where did he come from? Did he have any friends or family back home? Why was he all growl-y at Anna for?

But most of all…why was he here?

That was the only question that gave the young dragon reason to hesitate. Mostly because he was still so very much in despair about it. At least regarding his injuries he got a break with that Anna girl. While still in pain, his forearm already felt a little better with the wrapping she’d put on it.

The young dragon was lying down, head resting on his paws with Olaf sitting right beside his nose. When Olaf pressed the question about why he was here again, the dragon sighed and eyed him.

 _I am…or, I_ was _looking for more ice magic. I’d smelled some months ago when I was back home, and it led me here._ He sighed. _But maybe I was wrong… sure, you’re here, but…I don’t think I’ll be able to find the magic._

_…it’s hopeless…_

Olaf smiled sympathetically and gently pet his muzzle. “It’s not hopeless, big guy. Don’t you worry, you’ll find the magic, I promise! Actually, it’s just—” But the dragon cut him off.

 _No!_ He scrunched his eyes shut tight. _It_ is _hopeless! There’s nothing but human after human… Anna’s the first one not to attack me. Even if I still don’t trust her, that’s so much more than I expected, Olaf._

Now the poor beast sighed sadly. _Anna shouldn’t have come…neither of you should’ve… I was meant to die here…_

Olaf stood, staring hard at the young frost dragon. Just as he started to speak, Olaf’s expression quickly softened, “It’s not that bad, it’s not. Just because a lot of people hurt you doesn’t mean that number’s gonna get bigger!” He patted the dragon’s nose again, “And besides, you have help now. Anna’s gonna go get her sister, and everything’s going to be okay, you’ll see!”

The young frost dragon dared to open his eyes. He looked Olaf in his, and saw nothing but pure, unbridled faith and honesty. The little snowman truly believed that the dragon’s plight wasn’t as bleak as it seemed.

The pair sat there in silence for a few minutes; the dragon gathering his thoughts and Olaf just stroking his fur. The strokes felt so good…the dragon found himself humming in content. Olaf giggled at the sound, especially at how it made the dragon’s snout and chest vibrate.

“That’s a funny sound!” Then the snowman gasped, both hands clasped at his mouth. “Oh! Oh, oh, oh! What other noises can you make?!?” Olaf asked, all excited like.

The dragon found himself smiling, and even chuckled. The sound was akin to a seal’s laugh, though much deeper and with growling undertones. This must’ve counted for Olaf, for he sniggered along with the young beast, still smiling large.

“What else?” The silly snowman coaxed.

From that point forward, the young frost dragon made every noise his kind could make. While he spent the entire time making sure not to be too loud—the hunters were never far from his mind—the dragon’s mood grew more and more carefree with every giggle that came from the snowman at his nose.

The dragon hummed, growled, harrumphed, and snickered. Each sound seemed to only make Olaf happier, which in turned, eased the young beast. After a while, though, the frost dragon ran out of noises. He sighed, eyeing Olaf timidly.

_I don’t think I can make any other sounds, Olaf._

Olaf frowned, thinking as he sat down. He must’ve been thinking hard, for the dragon noticing his little stumpy feet wiggling. It didn’t take long till Olaf brightened again, somehow perturbing the beast.

“Oh, hey! Can you roar?” He asked. “Dragons usually roar, don’t they?”

The young frost dragon frowned, shaking his head, almost dejectedly.

_No Olaf…err, well, most dragons can roar, yes. But not Frost Dragons like me, we don’t roar._

That response seemed to have stumped Olaf, for the snowman was at a loss for words for a while. Thinking again, Olaf eventually shrugged.

“Well, um, ooh!” Suddenly he brightened again, and the dragon started thinking this little snowman was kind of silly. “If you can’t roar, can you at least howl? Kinda like a wolf, or something?”

The young beast was about to deny that when he paused, frowning as he thought. It occurred to him…he wasn’t really sure if he could howl. While he’d heard the patriarchs back home howl many a time to gather their kind, the young frost dragon himself had never done it before.

_Come to think of it, Olaf…I’m not sure… But I can try._

The dragon sat up straight, but remained prone. He cleared his throat a few times, the funny noises resulting making Olaf giggle some more. Once he was ready, the young frost dragon took in a great breath. Surely enough, a howl had echoed out his throat.

He’d initially been worried the howl would resemble that of the dogs that’d attacked him. But as the dragon howled, long and low and not too loud, his chest nigh on thrumming with the deep bass of it, he noticed how so very _deep_ it sounded.

As the rich baritone of his howl faded, the young frost dragon marveled. In fact, Olaf was also impressed, his mouth wide open. “Wow…that was a really good sound…”

The dragon smirked sheepishly, but there was a spark of pride in his chest.

That spark was hindered though, as not a minute later, the two magic beings heard something approach the cave. Just as they looked out of the cave, a voice called from beyond it.

“Olaf!” It was Anna. “Hey, are you in there? How’s Fluffy doing?”

The dragon growled, his face flat with irritation. That nickname was getting annoying, regardless of its validity. Olaf however, was excited by the girl’s return, and ran out to meet her. The young beast stayed behind, not as thrilled as the snowman was.

As he remained in the cave, the dragon heard Olaf express to the girls, as the young frost dragon spotted another with Anna, that he didn’t like being called ‘Fluffy’. He snorted to emphasis the point. It wasn’t until Olaf repeated the dragon’s distaste for being called ‘Fluffy’—inciting a grunt from the beast—that either girl turned their attention to him.

The first to notice him was the new girl who Anna had brought—her sister, he remembered. She seemed hesitant to approach the cave, but that didn’t surprise the dragon, who silently huffed.

 _You’ll be like all the others…_ He thought without reserve.

The dragon’s ears twitched, and he looked to see the new girl approaching. He leaned forward just far enough that, when he eyed her, they reflected the light. A few steps later, and the beast started to growl. She was getting a bit too close for his liking. His growling halted the girl, causing the beast to give a smug smirk. But then Olaf came running in, evidently to the girl’s rescue.

Olaf assured him the girl was nice, very nice in fact according to his word. The girl though didn’t seem all too sure about the snowman’s praises, but tried to hide the doubt. The young frost dragon saw it though, and narrowed his eyes. Curious, but still quite cautious, he leaned crept closer, noting the awe in the girl’s face.

_Well whaddaya know, she’s impressed as well… What is it about these two that puts them at ease with me?!?_

The dragon was truly dumbfounded by this, glaring at the girl a little. But he took time away from his mild annoyance to give Olaf a warmer glance. The observant young woman next to Olaf started approaching again, bringing the dragon’s glare back to her.

_You’re kidding, right? Stay away from me you—_

The dragon’s thoughts were cut off as frost and snow trailed the girl’s fingers. His glare shifted to a shocked expression, his eyes widening as they stared at the magic.

_No…it…it cannot be…_

He watched closely as she curled her hands over the other, forming a sphere of ice magic between them. The dragon watched in anxious hope as the girl held up the sphere for him to inspect. He inched closer as slowly and carefully as he dared, worried that any wrong move would end in yet more disappointment and despair.

The young beast was laying directly in front of the girl, who watched him firmly and without fear. As he brought his nose to the sphere, in the back of his mind, the dragon commended her for staying steadfast. He’d only sniffed the sphere for a bit when he gasped hard, tossing his head back a bit in shock.

It wasn’t just any ice magic. It was _the_ ice, the very thing he’d been trying hard to find for months. And here it was, _she_ was, in the flesh. The dragon’s eyes began to glisten as all his fears of never finding this person evaporated like ice in the sun.

_It’s you…_

He couldn’t hold it in any longer. The young frost dragon let out a whine and collapsed, pressing his head against the girl. A wave of relief spread through the dragon as the sphere she’d been holding disappeared upon collision with his, but he ignored it. Crying his heart out, the beast just kept as close to the girl as he could.

His crying was tempered a bit, though, as Elsa began petting him as she held him in her arms. Had the dragon not been overcome by emotion, he would’ve questioned how he suddenly knew her name. But at present, he was a bit busy. So busy, he barely noticed as Anna and Olaf approached and spoke. He did, though, hear Elsa.

“Yes Anna…” She said. “The dragon is crying.”

The young beast sniffled, one more cry escaping his throat. He finally managed to stem his tears long enough to look at Elsa, who was already looking at him.

_I…I looked for you for so long…_

As Elsa frowned, and began questioning the others, the frost dragon closed his eyes. He focused on Elsa holding him, and to be honest, it wasn’t that hard. If he thought Olaf’s petting felt good, from Elsa, it was nigh on heavenly. The dragon wasn’t sure if it was just her, or if it had to do with Elsa also having ice magic. Regardless, the beast could’ve stayed there in her arms forever.

He heard Elsa claim to have heard him speak, which caused him to mentally frown. While having magic, Elsa wasn’t strictly a magical being, especially compared to Olaf. So…how was she able to hear him? The young frost dragon didn’t have time to contemplate before he heard Anna having a hard time with the fact.

_Anna thinks I can’t talk, typical._

Despite how nice she’d been, the beast still held issue with Anna. Unfortunately, he hadn’t thought about how her sister would respond. As Elsa let go of him and stepped away, he eyed her with a confused expression. The frost dragon was left to wallow in his confusion for a few moments as Elsa told Olaf to go check on somebody outside.

His confusion faded though as Anna stood next to Elsa, arms crossed.

“He just said something not nice, didn’t he?” Anna asked her sister, the question actually causing said beast to panic. So _that’s_ why Elsa retreated.

Elsa then nodded. “It would appear you’re the only one he doesn’t like.” She’d replied to her sister.

As the two made to inspect his remaining injuries, the young frost dragon face-planted the ground. How could he have been so stupid?!?

 _Blast me for a fool! I was talking about her_ sister _for the Mountain’s sake! Of course she’d be upset with me!_ He berated himself, punctuating it with extra face-plants.

But when the beast looked back, Elsa seemed unaware of his momentary self-loathing. He couldn’t help but notice the banter between the sisters regarding Anna’s job on his forearm. When he thought neither were looking, the young frost dragon glanced at the two.

 _It’s true…they are family…m-maybe that Anna girl_ is _worth a shot…_

He sighed with the thought, mulling it over. Despite his lingering distrust of the auburn-haired girl, she’d so far done nothing but good for him.

_She brought Elsa to me…and Olaf before that…_

The more he thought about it, the more reason the dragon found for him _to trust_ Anna. He scrunched his eyes and sighed through his nostrils. He’d definitely have to get use to this…but he knew there was no way he could do it on his own.

The young beast brought his head around to Elsa, and nosed her hand. Thankfully, she understood the unspoken request, and began caressing his muzzle. It already felt good, but when Elsa laced it with frost, and that just sold it. The frost dragon could feel his stores of magic quickly swelling, half of it just from the raw purity of Elsa’s magic.

Both he and Elsa shuddered, though neither noticed, nor could they have comprehended why.

The beast heard Anna speak, “I knew it. He likes you.”

 _Surely, Anna, you’re smarter than I’d thought._ He absently mused, sarcasm barely suppressed. But despite his attempted disguising the sarcasm, Elsa must’ve heard it anyway, for she eyed him.

An innocent _…what?_ Was his only answer.

 

* * *

 

 

Miles away, from the kingdom of Arendelle, in a dark, unruly corner without a country, sat a lone tavern. It was nestled in a crevice in the mountains. Unlike most you’d find, these mountains were dull, grey, and lifeless. The constant rain they forced upon their foothills had more life then the rock did, the drizzle wiping away all semblance of emotion from the scene.

The tavern wasn’t one just any regular person would walk into. But it wasn’t rough-n-tumble like the Snuggly Duckling, either. No, this tavern was something else…this was one worse… It was a tavern where dark dealings took place. Where secret meetings manifested to scheme up ways to rob the world of light. One such conference was about to take place as a cloaked figure approached the desolate building.

The short-statured character shivered heartily as he stomped up the steps to the door. He shouldered it open, his small frame barely able to move aside the large thick door. Inside was about as dark as outside, albeit with plenty of candlelight to see with.

As the man stepped into the bar, what few patrons that were present glanced at him. Despite the causality of the moves, the cloaked man went rigid under their eyes. He should’ve brought his guards with him…why’d he leave them behind again?!?

Oh right, this was a covert meeting.

The cloaked man puffed out his chest in what he hoped was confidence and approached the barman. Said barman eyed him with an expression of lazy indifference as he towel-dried a tankard.

“I am here on business.” The cloaked man said, his words strong as he didn’t feel. The medals pinned to his tunic hidden by his cloak didn’t mean much to the men around him, and he knew it. “I believe there’s already someone here expecting me.”

The barman narrowed his eyes, “Orally?” He drawled, even more indifference dripping from his voice. “’n who’d dat be, eh? Yur personal bastard?”

The cloaked man fumed, getting ready to verbally correct the man on just who it was he was talking to. But the atmosphere reminded the man he needed discretion, so he took a deep breath and replied.

“No…rather it would be the man this belongs to.” He pulled out an arrow from beneath his cloak just enough so only the barman could see it. The arrow had black fletching on the end of the shaft, and the arrowhead itself was barbed.

The barman’s eyes widened in fear. Only one hunter in all the land owned arrows like that. The barman quickly set aside the tankard and towel, and, walking out from behind the bar, walked off into a hallway. The cloaked man followed him, a determination in his step. They eventually reached a door, to which the barman gestured before walking back to the bar faster than he’d come.

Taking a deep breath, the cloaked man entered the room. Inside, the room was scarce, save for a single chair. There was a window, through which a lazy light meandered, barely grazing the room with light. This caused many shadows to blanket the room.

Sitting in the chair was the man he’d come to meet. The heavily garbed Hunter lounged in the chair as lazily as the shadows outside, the ones inside shrouding his face.

“It’s about time, Weasel.” The man said, his heavy accent making his words a puzzle to make out (for the cloaked man, at least). “I was sorely tempted to abandon this endeavor altogether and take your money with me.”

The cloaked man fumed once again at being called a Weasel. He’d had quite enough of that already, but the threat of desertion and outright theft of funds got him all the more.

“Absolutely not!” The Weasel shouted. “You are under strict contract to always obey my commands! You’re lucky I allow you the freedom I do, Afanasy.”

The Hunter, Afanasy, very slowly leaned forward. The motion was caked with the grace and care only experienced hunters can pull off. The man’s dark face was revealed; his once brown, but now pitch-black mane framing his face. A thick beard clung to his jaw and lip, and his piercing gray eyes bore into the pathetic man before him.

The Weasel found himself concerned for his own safety, again wishing he’d had his guards with him. Despite the services the beast of a man who was Afanasy had done for him, it was moments like this when he felt as risk that caused the Weasel to second guess his decision.

After a few moments of—at least for the Weasel—uncomfortable silence, a grin broke on Afanasy’s face as he chuckled. “You worry too much, milord. I was only joking!” Afanasy chuckled a bit more before regaining all seriousness. “The target you sent me after…are you certain you really want its pelt? The beast is a crafty one, to be sure…he actually managed to lose my top dogs.”

The Weasel shook a fist in frustration, “Blast it all! Were it not coming from you, Afanasy, I would question the skill of the hunters.” He sighed through his large nose before speaking again, “Do you at least have a general idea of where the beast has gone? Please tell me you have that much to satisfy Thanos with.”

Afanasy’s eyes hardened at the mention of the man who’d put the Weasel up to sending him and his hunters after the beast. Neither he nor the Weasel himself knew who Thanos was, only that he shared a common trait with the two men.

Magic was a blight on the land, and must be destroyed.

When Afanasy spoke, it was slowly and with all the purpose in the world. “The young Frost Dragon has fled to the southernmost mountains that still retain a tundra-like climate. More specifically, I suspect he has taken refuge near the fjord kingdom that you so rightly despise…”


	7. A Dragon, a Snow Queen, and a Phoenix

“Will you hold still, you big baby!”

Anna yelled as she nearly fell off of the young Frost Dragon’s back for the third time, glaring at the head he’d brought over to watch her and Elsa.

She was kneeling on him, nestled in the thick mane that stretched over his shoulder blades. It was her attempt at getting to the arrow in the beast’s right shoulder, but every time Anna got close, the beast would flinch, throwing her off balance.

The dragon snorted indignantly, his pride wounded by Anna’s shout. Olaf stroked his nose, giving him reassurances. The little snowman had since returned from checking on the Sven and Romeo.

Anna retracted her glare as she spared a glance down at her sister.

Elsa, on the other hand, was perched on the beast’s forearm. She was a good distance away from the bandaged section and instead was at the inside curve of his elbow. Elsa had both hands grasping the dragon’s arm as she tried to use her power to make the situation as painless for him as possible. Her mouth was in a thin line of concentration as she focused, having not done anything of this like with her powers before.

Having already tended to the dragon’s ravaged lower-thigh, the wound now dressed and wrapped (though apparently the young dragon had complained to Elsa that it felt funny), their next target was the arrow in his shoulder.

They had, after referring to the Physician’s Book again, reluctantly agreed on pulling the arrow out. While a potentially dangerous situation, as the book made clear, it was their best and only option. Luckily for them, though, Anna remembered the piece of the shaft she found being fairly long. That meant there wasn’t much arrow left in the dragon’s shoulder: just enough for a hand to grab it.

Anna sighed, shaking her head a little as she resituated herself on the dragon’s back. Swallowing hard, she reached again for the arrow. To his credit, the beast didn’t move, though Anna felt his breathing grow uneven under her knees. A very faint scratching noise could be heard as the dragon clenched his claws, the nails clashing with the rock of the cave.

 _You’re scared too…_ Anna realized, and somehow, that eased her. Maybe knowing the feeling was mutual just made it easier to deal with.

Course, from what the Physician’s book said, injuries like this could be fatal. There were so many ways this could go wrong, not only did Anna nearly gave up; she nearly _threw_ up. Only Elsa’s words had prevented either, though Anna could’ve sworn she saw worry in Elsa’s eyes as well.

Then again, the snowflakes falling _inside_ the cave also helped to give it away (this had, of course, caught the young dragon’s attention).

Anna was pulled out of her musings as she felt her hand grip the arrow’s shaft. She pursed her lips and scrunched her brow with determination. For the young Frost Dragon’s sake, this was going to work. It had to. Anna muttered a silent prayer for Elsa’s magic to do the trick in lessening the amount of pain the beast would experience.

First, she gently began twirling the shaft. Anna felt a shot of pain in her heart as the dragon whined in response, but remained calm. She even sighed with relief when the shaft twisted without issue.

 _Oh, thank God…the head isn’t in the bone._ Anna couldn’t help but think, and she noted a similar reaction in Elsa, who’d begun stroking the young beast’s fur (and lo, Elsa was even frosting it for good measure). But just because it wasn’t in bone didn’t mean they were out of the woods yet. If the arrowhead didn’t come out with the arrow shaft…they were going to be in a lot of trouble.

Anna returned her determined glare at the wound, fighting off another wave of nausea at the image. Once again gulping down her “worries”, Anna tightened her grip on the arrow. She took three, steady breaths to further refocus herself, giving time for the dragon and Elsa to steel themselves as well.

Anna rolled her shoulders and flexed her fingers.

 _1…_ The dragon whimpered and covered his muzzle with his other paw, Olaf increasing his comforts.

 _2…_ Elsa’s fingers clenched the dragon’s fur hard, and without her own notice, her lips tight with worry.

 _…3!!!_ So much happened at once.

The dragon screamed beyond loudly, the sound nearly driving the Anna deaf, and most likely the same with Elsa. As well, Anna heard Elsa let out a severe, pained gasp, and nearly fall off of the dragon’s arm. For Anna, she _did_ fall off the dragon, landing on her side with a thud. A sudden turn in her stomach forced Anna into practically a fetal position as a hand flew to her mouth and held it fast. After the fall, Anna was unsure of Olaf’s reaction, and was too busy to guess.

Then, for a couple of minutes, all was silent as the trio recovered. Anna just lay on her side, willing her stomach to _not_ evict its contents. The arrow was still gripped tightly in her right hand. She found herself unwilling to let go of it—at least, for right now. As her stomach gradually began to calm, Anna heard the unique sound of Olaf’s footsteps.

When they stopped, she heard him speak to Elsa, “Elsa! Hey, are you ok? You look pale…even for you!”

That got Anna’s attention.

Regardless of her gut’s status, Anna forced herself to her feet. When that proved to be a mistake, nearly compromising her stomach again, Anna settled with just her knees. She shuffled forward till she reached the dragon’s arm, reaching up to put a hand on Elsa’s. Elsa was paler, and was even a little breathless like the dragon, her head propped against his arm.

“Elsa…” Anna whispered, still cautious about opening her own mouth.

It worked, though, for her sister cracked an eye open to look down at her. “Th-that…hurt…” Suddenly both her eyes went wide, and Elsa looked at Anna urgently. “Anna, the arrowhead!”

Anna gasped, panicking for a moment before swinging her head down and her arm up to look. If the head was still in the dragon’s arm, they were in deep—

Anna sighed hard and fell back on her rear in relief as she beheld the bloody arrowhead, still held fast to the shaft. She held it up for Elsa to see. Her sister also let out a great sigh of relief, bumping her head on the dragon’s arm. Looking back at the arrowhead, Anna cocked her head and went “huh” when she saw it was serrated, maybe even barbed.

_Well that’s weird…_

Then she noticed the blood all over the arrowhead, and weird…chunks… _What in the…_ Anna jumped and threw the broken arrow away towards the cave entrance. She shuddered, shaking her head, then slowly stood.

There was a rustle, then Anna saw the dragon bring his head up and nuzzle Elsa, who hugged him back. Anna couldn’t help but notice—well, beyond the mutual affection ( _score!_ )—that the young beast didn’t move his chest or arm at all. This of course, led her to look up at the wound, then notice fresh blood. Instinct kicked in, and Anna rushed for the bags to grab clean cloths and bandages, as well as some additional medicinal items.

Anna climbed to his back, going up by his back leg, and sat down once again on his shoulders. She dabbed carefully at the wound to get rid of the newly shed lifeblood, her nausea catching up to her. But Anna shook her head and focused. Once the excess blood was wiped away, she brought out the Physician’s pre-made poultice for such wounds. Plastering some of it to a long stretch of the bandage, she pressed the side with the dressing against the wound.

Anna cringed as she heard a whine emanate from the dragon. The cringe faded quickly, though, as she heard faint whispering. Looking down, Anna noticed Elsa rubbing the dragon’s cheek, and saw her lips moving.

Anna couldn’t stop the small smile that came to her. Even though she’d expected it, heck, she’d even planned for it! Regardless, it almost surprised Anna how easily her sister and the young dragon connected.

Blinking and shaking her head, Anna got herself out of her reverie and returned to her task of bandaging the dragon. She quickly slowed to another stop as a tricky conundrum arose. There was no way to wrap the shoulder, and Anna slapped her forehead. Of _course_ she couldn’t wrap his shoulder, what was she thinking?!?

Rocking back, Anna just sat there on the dragon’s back, thinking. Her muses sent her legs swinging, but they ended up bumping against the young beast. Said beast pressed his lips into a tight line—accentuating the extreme fuzziness of them—as he opened his eyes to glare at Anna. Anna met his gaze and shrugged, and apologetic smile on her face.

Finally done with wallowing in the issue, Anna carefully jumped off of the frost dragon’s back. She walked up to Elsa and tapped her shoulder lightly. Once she had her sister’s attention—and to lesser extents, Olaf’s and the dragon’s (annoyance on his part)—Anna explained the issue regarding the shoulder wound.

And…her idea for a solution.

Elsa frowned and opened her mouth—Anna assumed to argue—but then she closed it again as she looked away. “You may be right, Anna. The wound cannot be wrapped, he has the wrong skeletal structure for such a thing.” Elsa went silent for a while as she thought, but Anna left her to it.

“Leaving the dragon on his own, but paying regular visits to check up on him…” Elsa slowly started nodding, “This will have to do. There’s not many other options available to us at the moment.”

Elsa returned her attention to the dragon, and Anna noticed a hint of gladness in the silly beast’s eye. Anna gave an ornery smirk, of which the dragon noticed, causing him to give her a half-lidded glare back.

As another idea struck Anna, she frowned at the thought and began rubbing the end of one of her braids. “Hey…Elsa, ya think we could, maybe… _name_ the big guy? It’s taking what willpower I had to keep myself from calling him ‘Fluffy’ again these past few minutes.”

Anna giggled, and smiled as both Elsa and Olaf chuckled as well. The dragon looked up at her and gave a light snort. Anna knew he wasn’t upset, though—the look on his face said it all. But Elsa’s translation helped all the more.

“He says _‘Well, thank_ you _, ma’am.’_ ”

Both girls ended up giggling, for Elsa had perfectly recreated the dragon’s sarcastic tone. Said dragon stared at the two helplessly, a pathetic look on his face. Even Anna could tell what he was thinking without being able to hear him.

As Anna mulled over possible names for the young beast, she overheard Elsa talking to him. “Do you have a name?”

Anna spot the dragon shake his head out of the corner of her eye, momentarily distracting her. Whatever his response was, it seemed to unnerve her sister.

“I see…” She muttered. “That is unfortunate.”

Anna frowned, diverting her attention to their conversation. Elsa had sounded almost…pained by whatever the dragon had said. “What is it, Elsa? Does he have a name?”

Elsa sighed through her nose, taking time before answering to turn, letting her legs dangle off the dragon’s forearm. Her face was a mask, and she’d wrapped her arms around her stomach. Anna immediately recognized this posture and took a step forward, now as concerned for Elsa as she was for the dragon.

“Apparently,” Elsa began slowly, “The humans in a more northern country had taken to calling him Izverg, which means…”

Her voice faltered as she tensed, compelling Anna to move even closer and put a hand on her shoulder. The dragon had long since laid his head down, eyes shut tight as Elsa explained.

“What does it mean, Elsa?” Anna asked, gently rubbing her older sister’s shoulder.

Elsa face tightened, but the rest of her eased.

“It means ‘monster’, Anna. And apparently we’re the first he’s come across to think differently.”

Anna felt her face go slack at the meaning of the name. She began shaking her head as she glared at…well, nothing, really. Anna put her fists on her hips, thinking all the harder about a new name for the young frost dragon, who had resumed his Elsa-nuzzling. If Anna had wanted to give the beast a name before, now she knew she had to. A different, better name would most certainly help him to feel better about himself.

After all, he wasn’t the only one around who’d been called a monster before, as both Anna _and_ Elsa were painfully aware.

Finally, a name struck her, the perfectness of it hitting her all the more. Unable to contain herself, Anna started bouncing in place, biting her bottom lip as she danced a little.

“I got it! I know the perfect name for our frosty buddy here!”

Elsa and the dragon looked up at her, Elsa’s expression mildly curious, why the dragon’s incredulous. Anna shrugged off the dragon’s look, passing it off as a reaction to ‘frosty buddy’ _(he can’t take a nickname, can he?)_. Olaf, having been uncharacteristically silent the entire time (or maybe he checked on Sven and Romeo again, Anna hadn’t been paying him a lot of attention!), walked up to her with a big smile on his face.

“What name is it, Anna?!?” He asked, as eager to know as she was to say.

Incapable of keeping it in any longer, she burst out the name, “Magnus!”

The dragon frowned, snorting a little as he brought his head back, tilting it a little. _What kind of bloody name is that?_ Was as plain on his face as the sun. Olaf merely nodded his vigorous consent, while Elsa frowned.

“Magnus? I’ll admit it’s a nice name, but I don’t know if it suits him properly.” She ended that sentence with a pat on the dragon’s muzzle, dispelling his confused face as he focused on the feeling. “Besides, Magnus is an awfully common name around here, a good quarter of the men within five leagues of Arendelle are named Magnus.”

A glance to the pensive frown on the dragon’s face made Elsa smirk. “Besides, I do not think he is a fan of the name.”

Anna frowned, her exuberance fading as she thought. “Hmm, all right then…umm, well…what about Tallak? That’s a cool sounding name, and isn’t it connected to Thor in some way?”

Olaf started bouncing excitedly. “I don’t know who Thor is, but both of those names sound very good!”

Anna beamed at the dragon’s still frowning mug. “Your name could be Tallak and it would make people think of a god! How cool would that be?”

The dragon slowly raised his head, inched it toward a still smiling Anna…and snorted at her, frost crackling as it formed on her clothes.

“Ack! Eehhh, cold! Cold! Okay, fine, so not Tallak! Geez!”

Though Anna didn’t notice, Elsa had smothered her snicker and laughter behind a hand, and struggled to keep it quiet enough that Anna wouldn’t catch it. Olaf made no such attempts, his giggles plain as day. Luckily for both of them, Anna was too busy grumbling as she brushed the frost off of her clothes, and the dragon was too busy chortling at her. While she was busy defrosting her clothing—and feared such incidents would become commonplace with the dragon around—Anna heard Elsa call to the dragon for his attention.

When he turned his head to regard her, Elsa spoke; “What of the name Søren? It is a fine name, but do you find it fitting to be what we call you?”

“Ooh, that one’s good too!” Olaf shouted as he beamed at the dragon. “I like that name even more, how about that one?!”

The dragon frowned as he thought, his teal eyebrows bunched over his eyes as his lower lip jutted out a tad. The image was quite amusing, and Anna saw this time as Elsa found herself stifling her mirth again. Only this time, Anna had found herself in the same predicament, though she had a much harder time. Once again, Olaf had no qualms about giggling aloud. Before long, however, the dragon gave a rumbling sigh and shook his head.

Elsa merely smiled as she stroked his neck. “It’s quite all right, you’re more than allowed to decline if you do not feel a name we suggest suits you. This will be _your_ name, after all, it is ultimately your decision.”

The dragon seemed to take comfort from this, as Anna watched happily when he reached around to nuzzle her chest. Elsa’s ensuing giggles upon the motion only further warmed Anna’s heart, and made her all the surer about her decision to bring these two together. For all the heartache that both individuals have suffered—though Anna had yet to learn the true depth of the dragon’s—they deserve solace in a kindred spirit.

_Now…just to find a darn name for him…_

“Hey fuzzbutt, I’ve got another idea!”

Anna smiled innocently as the dragon immediately glared at her, and merely waited for his glare to cool. “How about Ragnar? It’s nice and strong, and all manly sounding and whatnot. It’s kinda rough sounding, and you are pretty fluffy, but what do you think?”

The dragon seemed to take a moment, but it seemed to Anna that he was considering whether or not to frost her again, rather than the name. Her suspicion was confirmed when Elsa chastised him, and asked him to behave long enough to help them pick a name. The dragon sighed and snorted, this time a regular, annoyed snort. He thought for a few moments, eyes drifting off some ways, before he closed them and shook his head.

Elsa sighed, “He says it sounds too similar to the name of a human he encountered on the way here. The man wasn’t…wasn’t quite as welcoming as we were, it seems.”

Anna sighed, her enthusiasm having taken quite the blow at that accidental mishap. Just her luck then, wasn’t it, to find the name of a guy who’d mistreated the frost dragon. But then, since he more than likely didn’t do much swimming to get to Arendelle, the odds were high he went through a good stretch of Norway. In hindsight, it made sense that the dragon would’ve encountered a hostile human named Ragnar. The princess couldn’t really blame him for not wanting to share names with a man who’d probably tried to kill him at worst, or fend him off at least.

The redhead meandered closer to her sister as she hummed in thought. “Do you have another name idea, Elsa, or should I go again?”

Elsa looked upward as she thought, that cute furrow of her brow making Anna nearly chuckle. “Hmm…go ahead and try another, I’ll say mine when it comes to me.”

Anna nodded. “Right, okay then, umm…how about…uuhhh…ooh!”

She turned to smile up at the dragon, his face curious as he awaited her next name.

“What about Yngvar?”

A derisive snort and a vigorous headshake.

“Okay, no, what about Týr?”

A mulling pause, then a huff and another headshake.

“No again, right, so…Håkon?”

A momentary pause that brought hope, but ended with a disappointing shrug.

“I’ll take that as a maybe, umm…Kjetil?”

This earned a stuck out tongue and a disgusted sound.

“All right, all right! Okay, not Kjetil, uhh…”

Anna hesitated for a moment, before she shrugged and met the dragon’s eyes. “Well, how about Jorgen? It’s a little cuter than most of the names we’ve tried, but what do you think? Or maybe Bjorg?”

As the dragon mulled over this new name, Anna just barely caught the gasp from her sister. She turned to look at Elsa, whose eyes were wide, one hand partway to her mouth. The redhead noticed her sister’s lips move, but couldn’t make out what she was saying. It was so soft, Anna couldn’t hear it at all.

_What did say? What is something I said, maybe?_

Elsa then looked up at the dragon, who seemed to sense something amiss. He’d brought his head close to her again, and had gently pressed his nose to the hand she outstretched. Anna could see the concern in his big blues, and the way his horse-like ears were perked forward and at attention. It was kind of cute, but the redhead kept her focus and waited for her sister to speak.

“I know the perfect name for you,” Elsa softly proclaimed, getting the attention of everyone present. “If you’ll have it, that is.”

The dragon gave her a kind smile and nudged her chest. Elsa seemed to reign in any giggles this time, but she did smile to the beast.

“How about…Birger?”

His ears somehow got more perked, the little tufts on the ends swaying with the motion. The dragon kept his eyes on Elsa’s for some time, and Anna found herself enthralled in her anticipation. The name sounded very fitting for the beast, very fitting indeed. Moreover, the longer Anna considered the name, it soon hit her why Elsa had come up with it. In part, it was thanks to Anna, albeit an accident on her part. _Birger_ and _Bjorg_ both were both related to a word that meant “help, save, rescue”. But not only that…Anna had almost forgotten Elsa’s old puffin doll, Sir _Jorgen_ _Bjorg_ en.

Anna had given Elsa the perfect inspiration without even realizing.

Anna was pulled from her isolated revelation as she heard a deep thrumming sound, and looked up to see the dragon was now vigorously rubbing his fluffy nose against Elsa. The blonde could do nothing about her giggles now, the sounds belting free as the beast’s fur tickled her. Olaf merely started dancing around them, excited as could be.

“He liked it! He liked the name!” The little snowman shouted with glee.

Anna sighed with relief, beyond glad that the great name hunt was over. She started, however, as she noticed the dragon was now eyeing her. He stared at her with narrowed his, his fluffy eyebrows bunched low above them, and his lips were somewhat pursed. Anna just now realized how big his eyes were. It didn’t help that he was gradually closing the distance between them with his head, forcing Anna to lean back uncomfortably. The dragon snorted in her face, causing her to cringe, before he pressed his nose against her chest.

Anna stared at him in surprise, as by all means, he nuzzled her! She hesitantly put her mitted hands on either side of his muzzle, a nervous smile teasing her face. “Can I help, you?” Anna questioned of the beast.

Elsa hopped off of his arm and walked up to them, running one hand up his neck as she did. Once she’d reached them, Anna noticed Elsa had a smile on her face.

“He’s thanking you.” She said.

Anna frowned and cocked her head, “Thanking me? Wha-for what? What did I do?”

The dragon snickered, his muzzle vibrating with mirth for some reason unknown to Anna. Elsa raised an eyebrow at her, but was still smiling.

“For helping me find the name,” The other eyebrow rose to match, and Elsa’s smile grew. “He said he likes it.”

Anna couldn’t stop her face from lighting up if she tried. She beamed at the dragon, “Really?! So we can call you Birger!?”

The dragon—Birger now, if he was serious—raised his eyebrows, staring at her through half-lidded eyes. There was an ornery glint in the azure orbs that set Anna on edge. The glint grew as Birger raised his head, took in a deep breath, and then puckered his fuzzy lips as he blew a thin stream of breath right at Anna. Anna held very still as frost accumulated on her thick coat. Initially cringing, her expression went slack as she noticed the dragon was spelling something out.

 _‘DUH’_ was now spelled out in frost on Anna’s chest.

Anna sighed and shook her head while the icy trio in front of her all chuckled. Olaf doing his usual adorable giggling. Elsa raised a hand to her mouth as she giggled as well. Birger merely stared at her with that half-lidded, a smug smirk on his face.

Anna fumed and glared at the dragon. His smile only got bigger, causing her to only fume harder. “What’re you smiling at?!” She demanded.

Birger merely raised his eyebrows, eyelids not moving at all, save for blinks.

Anna could see Elsa trying not to laugh out of the corner of her eye, but at that moment, she was too busy to care. Pushing her sleeves up for show (since it was only getting colder), Anna took a few steps back. Rolling her shoulders a bit first, Anna then proceeded to run up to Birger and jump on his face. Grabbing his fur, she was now stuck on his muzzle, glaring him right in the eye.

“Aha! What’re you gonna do now, _Fluffy_?!?” Anna triumphantly exclaimed.

She was feeling pretty good about herself till Anna noticed Birger’s expression didn’t change. Not even when she called him ‘Fluffy’, the nickname he’d made clear he despised. Anna was confused, that is, till Birger raised his head to the ceiling of the cave. He pressed Anna against it, seemingly ensuring she was plastered against it. There was an ornery glint in Birger’s eye…

_Oh no…_

“Hey, hey wait!” Anna shouted, trying to get off of Birger’s face without falling…10 feet? “What’re you doing?!”

Anna could vaguely hear Elsa say something to the dragon. Something about not doing it… _not doing what?_ It didn’t take Anna long to find out, though, as frost quickly began to spread over her body. She cringed and tried once again to escape Birger’s defiant pin, but in vain. Before long, Anna was held fast to the cave ceiling not by Birger’s head, but by a full-body constraint of ice.

Birger lowered his head, still smiling smugly at Anna, whom continued to fume. At least she didn’t have to worry about falling: the ice was thick and held her fast to the ceiling. No, what Anna had to worry about was getting down _without_ Birger’s help.

Anna heard snickering and immediately swung her head in its direction. The mirth—at _her_ expense!—brought her glare to her sister of all people, though Olaf literally wasn’t far, snuffling with laughter as well.

“Elsa!” Anna tried to yell, though it came out as a whine, much to her chagrin. “What’re you two laughing at!?”

It took Elsa a minute to get a hold of herself apparently. But when she looked up at her, Anna couldn’t help but notice an adoring glint in her eye.

“Nothing at all, Anna.” Elsa assured, a chuckle hidden in her tone. “Just reveling in the relations I’ve been blessed with.”

Anna’s eyes widened, then she smiled, watching as Olaf gave Elsa a warm hug, and she returning it. Only a few months since the Thaw, and Anna had seen her sister already come pretty far, all things considering. Then she tried to move, remembered she was stuck to a cave ceiling by ice, and sighed.

“Hey uh, can somebody get me down…please? If it’s no trouble, of course.”

Birger snorted, his smug look as strong as ever. But when Elsa stood, and eyed him intently. “Birger, may you please release my sister from the ceiling?”

The young frost dragon cocked his head, and obvious _why?_ even Anna could translate. And since it was so easy, she proceeded to mock him, since Birger was looking at Elsa and not her. Elsa gave her a brief look of ‘really?’ before answering the dragon.

“Because it is getting late, and we need to be leaving so you can rest and heal anyhow.”

Birger pouted so hard, a big pathetic booboo lip sticking out between his saber teeth, Anna immediately started laughing. He glared and growled at her, but hard as she tried, Anna couldn’t help it. The look was so profound, his eyes getting so big, she’d have gone “Aww” if it weren’t so funny.

It looked for a second, though, like Birger was going to retaliate in some way. But before he could, Elsa caught him, “Ah-ah, I don’t think so, mister. Now if you please…?”

Birger slumped, rolling his eyes before snorting at the ice still holding Anna fast. She only had time to utter a quick “Uh-oh” before the ice vanished and she began to fall. But instead of falling on rock, Anna felt on something softer, but still course. When she opened her eyes—having closed them cause, hello, _falling!_ —Anna looked to see Birger had caught her in his paw. The bottom had pads a heck of a lot like a dogs, though not nearly shaped the same, and crowded over by his excessive amounts of fur.

He put her down on her feet, and actually did it quite gently. Anna smirked at him and patted his good arm. “Thanks, you ornery fluff ball, you!”

Birger snorted again, but more good-naturedly this time. Even the smug smirk was overcome with sincerity! It just made Anna beam as she turned and by all means hopped over to her sister’s side.

“Shall we go, dear sister?” Anna asked in a mock-regal tone, expression a match.

Elsa merely shook her head and sighed, “Yes, let’s, before we torture the poor beast any further.”

Anna giggled, then started out of the cave with Olaf close to her heel. She wondered for a brief moment why the snowman had been so strangely quiet the entire time, but was distracted by a call from Sven. Anna smiled at the reindeer, proceeding to wave at him and Romeo as both of the hooved pair took notice of her.

Sven looked relieved, poor guy must’ve been bored, while Romeo made to watch the cave for Elsa. _What a gallant horse, Romeo._ Anna thought with a shake of her head. He could’ve been a knight were it not for his hooves.

As Anna mounted Sven, the reindeer bouncing on his hooves, ready to be off, she looked up to notice Elsa _just now_ walk out of the cave. She frowned and cocked her head, a suspicious look on her face as she watched her sister approach them. Elsa didn’t have far to go, though, for Romeo trotted up closer. Anna heard Elsa thank her horse before mounting, as well as a nigh on jealous snort from the cave. Anna can’t help but catch the look Elsa throws at the cave, and the result whimper that comes.

But most of all…she notices how her sister’s expression softened before spurred Romeo forward.


	8. Enter Stable Boy, Debrief Kristoff

Kristoff may or may not have been pacing the entire span of the castle in the eternity Anna and the queen spent with the dragon. He paused his pace to plaster his palm to his face in exasperation.

 _Elsa._ Kristoff reminded himself. _She said you can call her by her name, remember?!?_

It annoyed Kristoff that he kept finding himself falling back into formality when it came to the young queen. Hell, she was Anna’s _sister_ , shouldn’t that help him? Shouldn’t that make it easier for him to break the barrier of formality that Elsa’s role entailed?

Course, it was possible Kristoff was regressing to using formalities because of the stunt Elsa and Anna had pulled right under his nose. It was bad enough he had to let Anna go “alone” into the mountains after the dragon, but he didn’t really have a choice. The queen herself, albeit as hesitantly as he, had allowed her sister to go. Kristoff really didn’t have a choice in the matter.

But then, when he went looking for Elsa only to find nothing, Kristoff had to ask Gerda where she was. The matron had been reluctant to answer him, only verifying his need to know. Kristoff managed to persuade the loyal woman to tell (as apparently she’d been asked not to voice the queen’s real location).

Anna had returned—without even telling him—and spirited her sister the queen away up into the mountains.

Kristoff knew Anna could be impulsive, but this seemed to be a new level. And for Elsa to go with her? It made Kristoff wonder what exactly was going on up there. Taking what he’d observed of the young queen’s personality, Elsa was usually a reserved character, and a level-headed one to be sure. If she had felt the need to follow Anna to the beast’s side, it _had_ to be with good reason.

A sharp knock ripped Kristoff from his musings, and he turned to answer. “Yeah, what is it?”

He immediately cringed at how frank that sounded, and tried to remind himself where exactly he was. But it was only the stable boy—who peeked meekly through the now open door—one of the few staff Kristoff got along effortlessly with.

The timid, brown shaggy-haired boy ducked his head as he stood in the middle of the doorway, half in and half out of the study (or whichever it was, Kristoff couldn’t be too sure) Kristoff had chosen to pace in at that time. “I uh…I just thought I’d let you know, um, sir, that uh, well…”

As the boy flinched, no doubt at his own stammering, Kristoff merely got a smile made lopsided by sympathy. He could probably guess how nervous the little stable boy was—the kid never did come into the castle that often, claiming it wasn’t his place when really, he was just a sweet little introvert.

Something with which Kristoff related easily.

“Hey kid, don’t worry.” Kristoff said softly in an attempt to reassure the boy. “Just tell me what it is, you’ll be fine.” He shrugged, “I’m just the, ehehe, the Ice Master.”

The stable boy peeked up at Kristoff (being more short-statured compared to him than even Anna) through his wild bangs. “Th-the, the princess and her Majesty have returned. Ah, uh…An-Anna said Sven wanted to well,” The kid actually smiled a little, gladdening Kristoff at the sight. “She uh, she said Sven wanted to ‘get on to you for leaving him alone with two girls, a gallant mule, and an insane carnivore’.”

Kristoff chuckled, absently wondering if Anna had done Sven’s voice to boot. Knowing her, she probably did, as what she’d told the stable boy to pass along sounded pretty accurate to him. Walking up to the boy, Kristoff knelt down and ruffled his hair, making the already unruly mop just a downright rat’s nest.

“Thanks for telling me, kid.” He said, patting the lad’s head for emphasis. “You did a great job.”

The stable boy beamed up at him. “R-really? Er, um, sir?”

Kristoff chuckled, shaking his head. “You know you don’t need to call me, sir. Now, come on!” He stood, stepping into the hallway as he beckoned the stable boy to follow him. Had the kid not been as shy as he was, Kristoff probably would’ve picked the boy up and set him on his shoulders. But knowing how awkward it’d probably be for the kid, settled with letting him tail Kristoff.

The stable boy hesitated, but since the destination was his job anyhow, started walking. But as Kristoff started walking too, the boy avoided his side and dangled behind. Every time Kristoff sneaked a peek at the stable boy, he kept noticing how the kid had his head ducked, shoulders hunched, and eyes downcast.

 _Hope I never looked that glum when I was his age…_ Kristoff mused, thinking back to his younger and much lonelier years.

The boy was what…10, 12 years old? Old enough his independence was showing, but then again, so were his insecurities. But this wasn’t the first time Kristoff had interacted with the boy, even if he had yet to ask the boy’s name. Course, even if he did ask, Kristoff wasn’t sure the boy would give it.

By the time Kristoff’s line of thought had reached this point, he and the stable boy had reached the pair of doors that would lead them to the courtyard the stables were adjacent to.

Kristoff gripped the handles of the relatively ornate doors and pushed them open. The moment a crack of light peeked through them, Kris noticed the stable boy perk up. And once the doors were open enough, he squeezed through them, leaving Kristoff in his dust. Kristoff chuckled as he watched the lad make a beeline for the stables, running like the only thing that could keep him alive was in the stables.

Though, Kristoff got the feeling it _was_ the stables, since he saw the boy there more times than he thought was probably normal.

Kristoff arrived at the stable a little while later, since he’d maintained a calm pace. Granted, he’d been sorely tempted to run like the stable boy, causing his gate to be rigid with the struggle. After all, the endeavor after the dragon was a secret on he, Anna, and Elsa knew. So Kristoff couldn’t risk sprinting for the stables and raising questions he couldn’t answer.

Walking past the stalls on his way to Sven’s, Kristoff noticed Elsa’s horse—Romeo, wasn’t it?—in his stall. He was now being treated by the stable boy who’d brought Kristoff, and he couldn’t help but grin at the pampering the lad was giving Romeo. The grin only grew when he caught traces of the boy whispering to the quarter horse.

Right then Kristoff frowned, the peculiarity of the breed of the Queen’s Horse bugging him once again. After all, the breed of choice in Arendelle was a Norwegian Fjord horse, or at least partly so. Elsa never had explained—well, at least to Kristoff—why it was a quarter horse she rode.

But once a small weight threw itself against his chest and wrapped its arms around his neck, Kristoff forgot all about Elsa’s horse.

“Well hi to you too, dragon doctor.” Kristoff managed to chuckle as his wrapped his own arms around the weight hanging from his neck.

Said weight, aka Anna, narrowed her eyes at him. “Did you just sarcastically call me a ‘dragon doctor’?”

Kristoff chuckled, then raised his eyebrow a moment later. “No.”

“You hesitated.”

Kristoff’s head snapped up at the voice, knowing it wasn’t Olaf but still irked by being accused of hesitation again. It was Elsa, whom was casually exiting Sven’s stall (the reindeer eagerly waiting for Kristoff). Kristoff noticed barely suppressed sass. He glared at her as much as he dared—which sadly wasn’t much.

“No I didn’t! I just…paused for effect.”

Elsa raised an eyebrow at him. “Of course. Now, if you’ll both excuse me.”

Kristoff looked down to see Anna’s face tighten with a hardly-kept smile. “See you later, Elsa. Hey! Maybe you can brush up on you-know-who!”

Now Elsa raised an eyebrow at _her_ in an almost ‘of course’ way, if Kristoff was reading her right. But then again, he never could be too sure with the queen. Kristoff watched the young queen as she walked away, regal as ever. He kept noticing, though, how Elsa alternated between rubbing her hands and her heart.

Kristoff frowned. While rubbing her hands together wasn’t so odd to see Elsa do, her heart…

_What were they doing up there…?_

Kristoff’s attention was dragged back to the weight in his arms, since it had done so literally. He smirked and looked down at Anna. “Yes, can I help you? Oh, right, how’d it go with the dragon?”

Anna sighed dramatically, leaning back in a similar manner. Kristoff merely shook his head and waited for her response.

“That dragon is a stinker, I swear.” Anna glowered. “Once he got used to me, he made to tease me!”

Kristoff chuckled, adjusting his grip on the still over-dramatizing Anna in his arms. Though he was also chuckling at the idea of her getting messed with by the dragon. Then the image of the beast snarling at him reared in his head, and Kristoff frowned.

“He actually wasn’t that bad.”

Kristoff started, and looked at Anna. She’d stopped hanging and now stood straight, arms still wrapped tight around his neck. Her expression had turned kind of solemn.

Kristoff frowned a little harder. “You sure? He could still be dangerous. What if someone else finds him and he attacks? The beast cou—”

“Birger.”

Kristoff eyed Anna. “Bir-what? What’s a birger?”

Anna chuckled, “No, that’s his name! I named him! Birger!”

Kristoff sighed, and it took all his willpower not to let go of Anna to rub his forehead. “Anna, you _named_ the dragon? He’s not the kind of stray you can just feed, name, and take home! He’s a dragon!”

Anna huffed at him, retracting her arms from his neck. She crossed her arms, which was a little tricky since Kristoff stubbornly held her to him. Anna tried to pry herself from his grip for a brief moment before giving up, since she knew it was futile.

“You think I forgot that? Birger may be fluffy and have a horsey face, but it’s still an easy fact to remember! Especially when he’d growl at me.”

Anna immediately flinched, and for good reason, as Kristoff stared at her. “He growled at you…the dragon, _Birger_ … _growled_ at you? Did he ever try to attack you, or hurt you?”

Anna shook her head, “Not really, but then I _did_ have help, remember! And besides, he…”

Her gaze fell, making Kristoff worry. It took Anna longer to answer than he liked, forcing him to let go. Kristoff cupped her cheek and gently made Anna look at him. She didn’t resist, but didn’t meet his eyes either.

“Anna, what’s wrong? What was it about the dragon?” Kristoff tried to be as imploring, but as soft as he could. If Anna couldn’t answer, he wouldn’t force her. But that look in her eye…Kristoff couldn’t name it, but it didn’t sit right with him seeing it in her eyes.

Anna closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but even then she hesitated. But as Kristoff rubbed her cheek with his thumb, she seemed to calm at the touch. Anna opened her eyes and looked Kristoff directly in his.

“Kristoff, Birger was scared…scared of me! When he growled at me, I only saw the anger in his mouth. But in his eyes…in Birger’s eyes, I only saw the fear that I was going to hurt him. A big, ferocious beast that couldn’t bitten me in half whenever he wanted…thought I was the most dangerous thing in that cave…”

Anna’s voice broke as she finished. Scrunching her eyes shut, she leaned into Kristoff’s chest. He returned to hugging her, which seemed to only cause Anna to lean into him harder. It was as if she was trying to disappear in his bulk.

Kristoff rubbed her back as he patiently waited. It shocked him how much Anna was put off by this whole ‘scaring the dragon’ thing. But as Kristoff remembered, the dragon was pretty big and fierce. So the fact that someone as small and unimposing as Anna frightened him?

Kristoff could see how Anna was so troubled.

They stood there for a little while, Kristoff simply holding Anna while she composed herself. The couple was content to stay like that for a while longer, too. But a loud, insisting bray caught their attention, causing both to start giggling.

“ _Hey! Where’s my hug?_ ” Anna said into Kristoff’s chest in her best Sven voice.

Kristoff couldn’t have stopped the smile that came if he tried. Ruffling Anna’s hair, he released his grip and walked over to Sven’s stall. The reindeer was, indeed, eyeing Kristoff with a somewhat annoyed look on his muzzle. Kristoff could read every word coming off his best friend’s face.

“ _I know she’s your lady friend and all, but what about me? Bros before does!_ ” Kristoff could hear Anna’s giggling behind him as he voiced Sven, making his heart soar. Not only did she not think it was all that odd, but she’d do it herself too (whenever she could, at least, she couldn’t always tell what Sven was thinking like Kristoff could).

Kristoff gripped Sven’s neck in a hug, patting his neck. “Well excuse me, Sven, if I was trying to comfort her following her day with the dragon. Unlike you, she had to go in and interact with a potentially dangerous dragon.”

Sven eyed him and snorted, no doubt picking up on the orneriness in Kristoff’s tone. Kristoff smiled apologetically and hugged his buddy, “Just so you know,” He whispered in Sven’s ear. “Knowing you were keeping an eye on Anna made me feel a lot better about letting her go up into the mountains.”

Sven lit up so hard, his tongue stuck out and he began attacking Kristoff with incessant nuzzling. Kristoff had no choice but to try and fight off his best friend, though in an extremely playful way. Sven succeeded in pushing Kristoff into the hay pile in the stall, though truthfully, Kris let him. It felt good just to play with him, like in that time when they were all the other had.

Despite this, Kristoff was acutely aware of Anna watching them from the door of the stall. And while he tried to focus on his best friend attacking his midsection and nearly taking his head off with his antlers, Kristoff couldn’t ignore the no doubt adoring stare he felt her look at him with.

Finally, after much pushing and coaxing, Kristoff convinced Sven to release him. Albeit grudgingly, and with an ornery expression, Sven obliged. He even offered his horns to help Kristoff get up. While Kristoff accepted the leverage, he did most of the lifting, since even Sven would have a hard time lifting Kristoff’s girth.

Once he was up, Kristoff patted Sven’s muzzle and promised to send a stable boy with carrots. That, along with their fun tickle-fight, more than eased Sven’s feelings. He’d flat out forgotten by this point.

With that done, Kristoff walked over to where Anna was, leaning against the stall’s doorframe. He was right, she did have an adoring look on her face. But as he approached, a more ornery glint appeared in her eye.

“Guess now I know all the spots to tickle you at, thanks to Sven!” Anna said as she bounced a little.

Kristoff glared at her, though with a smile. “What makes you think you’ll be able to get any jabs in? I so much as get near your sides and you go limp!”

Anna crossed her arms and glared back, she having a smug little smirk. “What makes _you_ think that, uh?”

A semi-evil light meandered its way into Kristoff’s expression. Faster than she could prevent, Kristoff poked Anna in her side. Immediately she squeaked, nearly full-on doubling over. Her defenses compromised, Kristoff swooped in and hoisted Anna on his shoulder without the slightest hitch. As he marched out of the stable, Anna struggling against his grip, yelling at him and punching his back, Kristoff had a smug smile of his own glued to his face.

 

* * *

 

 

A small figure peeked out from the stall of the Queen’s horse, watching the (assaulted) back of the Icemaster nervously as he left the stables. It was the stable boy who’d been sent to fetch Kristoff, the wild-haired boy. He’d been tending to the Queen’s horse as the three met, but unbeknownst to them, was there the entire time. As Kristoff and Elsa traded banter, as Anna sought comfort from Kristoff, as Kristoff eased his reindeer’s worries, and as Kristoff kidnapped Anna. But most importantly…the stable boy had been there…

As Anna unknowingly revealed Birger’s existence.


	9. Dragon and Queen and Midnight Oil

The night they returned from the mountain cave had been a peaceful one for most. Everyone slept well: Anna, Kristoff, Sven, the entirety of the kingdom, right down to the servants and the guards.

Everyone, that is, but Elsa.

Course, the couple of hours leading up to bed were likewise as restless. When she left Kristoff and Anna alone in the stable, leaving the stable boy who’d fetched the Harvester to care for Romeo, Elsa had indeed rubbed her heart as she walked. For the entire ride back home from the cave, a strange, steady but dull ache had arose in her chest. Now, at the castle, the ache thrummed at a fixed level, and thankfully not a horrid one at that.

But the fact it was not a severe ache did not help much. The entire day—as Elsa accomplished more royal matters, ate dinner, and researched more on Birger’s species—it was an ever present distraction that refused to leave. Sure, there were times when Elsa managed to enter the proper stage of focus that made her forget the ache. But no matter what, it was always— _always_ —there waiting for her.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, who knows), Elsa managed to hide it fairly well while others were looking. The calm mask she usually wore never wavered in the face of the bizarre ache. No one, not even Anna were the wiser, though saying ‘goodnight’ to everyone had nearly compromised her façade. Course, it helped it wasn’t that bad of a throbbing. Elsa kept likening it to hearing thunder in the background—dull and ever present, but not startling or impairing.

Elsa had hoped the ache would wear off by nightfall, and the servants were dismissed for the night. But as she lay in her bed, a seeming eternity passed, though it was barely a half hour. Another eternity (half hour) passed before Elsa started to get truly frustrated. So, if she was going to be stuck awake, she decided to make use of the time by attempting to deduce the origins of the ~~annoying~~ ache.

Elsa went through her recent memory, her first goal being to find the moments prior to the ache’s arrival. It seemed, the more she mulled it over, that it had accumulated as she and Anna left Birger’s cave; slowly and steadily like frost, before sticking stubbornly to its surface.

_Birger…_

Suddenly, a sharp twang ran through Elsa’s chest, causing her to flinch. She sat up, letting the blanket fall off her top as she brought a hand to massage the skin over her heart. It was like a brain freeze in her chest—or at least, how Elsa assumed brain freezes felt. Since the cold never bothered her, she’d never experienced one herself (though she’d seen Anna have one many a time from too much ice cream, it looked abysmal).

Elsa shook her head, eyes scrunched shut against the pain as it ebbed back to the previous scale.

 _How odd._ She mused as she sat there, intently going over the spike. _Is it possible…did the pain react to my thinking about Birger—?_ Elsa muffled a cry with her hand as she was sent doubling over by yet another spike. Once this one had subsided, it left her panting, her unbound hair falling in wild cascades past her face. But right then, Elsa wasn’t concerned with the pain, let alone her hair.

 _So the ache flares when I think about—_ Elsa shook her head, cutting herself off to prevent another flare. _Odd…so very odd…what in God’s name is happening to me…?_ Unable to sleep anyhow, Elsa decided to partake in some late night research. Maybe burning some midnight oil will exhaust her enough to sleep past the ache.

With one graceful motion, Elsa pulled aside her covers and swung her legs over the bedside. Luckily by this point, the ache had receded once again to its previous state, which almost brought a frustrated sigh to Elsa. But it was just a foolish—if strange—ache; best not to let it get to her. Standing tall, Elsa closed the distance between her bed and her dresser, where lay a candle in its cradle. She fumbled for a matchbox, and finally found it, pulling one out and using it to light the candle. Once the small flame sparked to life, Elsa shook the match and placed it on her dresser, replacing it in her hand with the candle’s cradle.

Elsa peeked her door open, looking down the hall both ways, to ensure no stubborn (or just massively dedicated) servants lingered. Seeing no one, she padded down the hallway for the library, holding the candle out deftly to light her way. It wasn’t long till the small flame of the candle cast alternations of light and shadow on the door blocking Elsa’s way to her destination. Reaching a hand out to open the door, Elsa made her way inside.

The library was as quiet as usual, and the serenity of it instantly calmed Elsa’s demeanor. While the ache didn’t change a bit, at least now Elsa had a better mind with which to investigate the triggering of it. If she just knew why she ached, Elsa might have an easier time dealing with it.

Elsa approached the closest bookshelf and immediately began scanning it. She squinted at the spines of the books, lifting the candle ever so slightly to get better looks at them. Finally, her cerulean eyes fell on the backbone of her target: The Dragon Book. Elsa set down her candle on the nearest table, then reached up and teased the book from its perch with both her hands. The Dragon Book was a hefty one to be sure, and far from light reading. This was a book to be dedicated to, intended for those with a mission and no less.

Someone like Elsa, especially now.

Elsa hefted the book over to the couch where she settled herself. Luckily, the table she’d set her candle on was the table set right against the arm of the couch: the arm with which Elsa now leaned herself. Elsa pulled back that cover of the book, though she lingered on the dragon insignia carved on the front. Leaving it behind, she skimmed through the index till she found the Chapter she was looking for.

“North-Class, here we are…” Elsa mumbled under her breath.

In the Chapter were multiple types of cold-related dragons, not just Frost Dragons like— Elsa shook her head, then refocused on the book. Checking the pager number for that particular species, she then flipped through the _many_ pages, passing dragon species after another, until she landed on the first page of the Frost Dragon section. Elsa took a moment to examine the grown beast depicted in ancient, stylized Nordic art. Under her scrutiny, Elsa could she what Anna meant by saying Bir—erm, _he_ was a young Frost Dragon.

Elsa sighed in frustration, taking a moment to rub over her heart before shifting her gaze to the information covering the arctic dragon breed.

_Frost Dragons are without a doubt the oddest of all dragonkind. While the vast majority bear scales, with a smaller majority sporting wings, this species possesses neither, making them easy to spot. Fur instead of scale, antlers instead of horns, and manes instead of wings: truly an oddity amongst our reptilian neighbors, as Frost Dragons are—by all means—mammals. Their saber teeth also serve as a defining feature, as not a single other species has been discovered with this ancient trait._

Elsa could not help but grin at the article. Whoever had drafted this was a brilliant man to be sure. She’d have to remember to check the credits when she had the time. Elsa lost her smile as she refocused, skimming a bit to reach the part about magic.

_Appearance is not the only unique factor of this species. Frost Dragons must surely be blessed by Skaði, for they are in possession and control of Ice Magic. Not only do they expel freezing air from their mouths in a form of breath attack—quite the opposite of dragon fire but not far off from, say, a Scauldron’s water—but they can coerce the element in a multitude of other ways. Sadly, these methods have not been fully documented, but it is presumed to be a versatile arsenal, for Frost Dragons had never been successfully killed by a Viking._

Elsa paused her reading to process what she’d accomplished. Evidently, Frost Dragons differed drastically from the rest of their kind. She sighed through her nose, her expression growing soft as she sympathized with the breed. Being vastly different from the rest of your kind was something Elsa could relate all too easily. She may have the basic traits, yes, but in many other ways did she vary from the norm. Shrugging these musings off, Elsa refocused on the paragraphs covering the Frost Dragons and their Ice Magic. Her brow furrowed in interest as the author’s tone shifted noticeably.

_I don’t usually use first person when making entries in the book, but this is a unique situation. I have come into the knowledge of rogue or splintered off Frost Dragon Individuals who’ve left their herd for respective reasons. Word dictates these to range from defiance to abandonment to banishment or, in rare cases, random wanderings. But it is the last one that has caught my attention. These sparse cases seem to involve individuals whose reasons for leaving their herds have been vague at best, even unto themselves. The men who’ve told me of these seem to be unable to clarify, but with help from my companion and finding such a beast, I’ve been able to elucidate for myself the purpose._

_It seems Frost Dragons have the ability to scent out Magic. Not just fellow Ice Magic, but all kinds beyond their own. The beast I discovered claims to have smelled Ice Magic emanating from a human. The beast also claimed to be ‘tied’ to the human, whatever that means._

Elsa noted an interesting ~~“Thor’s Hammer, I’ll never understand magic”~~ oddly scribbled out before continuing.

_I need to find this person and consult with them. If this…sorcerer—or sorceress—can tell me what connection they have to the Frost Dragon that found them, maybe I can learn more about this enigmatic breed..._

Elsa frowned, scrutinizing the page and even the next one. But the article ended there, as if left open to be updated. Elsa swiftly closed the book—her thumb keeping her place—as she reexamined the cover. At the very bottom was inscribed _‘Chieftain’s Exclusive Edition’_ , reminding Elsa that the copy they owned was a rare and expensive one. She sighed with frustration and leaned her head back; eyes scrunched shut and lips pursed.

How was she supposed to understand what was happening now? The author seemed on the verge of finding the very answers she sought. But the edition in her hands was the most recent one—at least, most recently adapted by the man whose work Elsa had read. She remembered the book had been expanded on by a multitude of people; the brilliant man whose work she admired just turned out to be the most ingenious.

Elsa lay there, wallowing in her frustration before she heard the familiar crunch of frost. Opening her eyes, she looked to note frost steadily accumulating on the covers of the book. Elsa had to use all her willpower not to gasp in horror (as this as a one-of-a-kind copy), lest she ruin the book any further then she may have already. Taking deep breaths to calm herself, Elsa gently willed the frost away, and though it dissipated grudgingly, dissipate it did.

Elsa inspected the book for any damage, and let out a great sigh of relief as she found none. There hadn’t been too much frost, and she rid the tome of it before any harm could’ve transpired.

The Dragon Book’s safety tended to, Elsa relaxed herself as she reclined further into the couch, picking her feet up to lay upon it. She left the book in her lap, though had closed it. Gazing upon its cover, Elsa peered intently at it, noting every feature and wrinkle on its surface, whether there by intention or by age. She especially gazed at the dragon symbolized prominently, front and center above the title. Sighing, Elsa decided to not worry too much over the lack of information—especially the information she’d been searching for—and focus more on what she _did_ find.

The writer who’d written the first person section mentioned finding a human with command over ice magic who was ‘tied’ to a Frost Dragon that’d been drawn to them by the scent of their magic. Remembering this brought a frown to Elsa, her mouth opening ever so slightly from realization. The Frost Dragon now residing in a cave on the North Mountain (she dare not think of his name, lest the ache flare again) had come to Arendelle for just that very purpose. He’d mentioned having “looked for you for so long”. Elsa lifted a hand and, barely having to focus, summoned a fount of snowflakes. The flakes soared from her fingertips in an array of magic and light, partially illuminating her face.

Maybe Elsa _had_ found the information she was looking for, even if the climax had been absent.

 _The Frost Dragon the man—_ Elsa quickly checked the book’s credits— _that Master Haddock had found claimed to have been tied to a human with Ice Magic. Ever since I came in contact with Birger (_ no flare occurred, skipping Elsa’s notice _) then left his side, my heart has been nigh on throbbing for hours. This…this connection…could it be happening to us, now?_

Elsa sighed, closing her eyes and bringing a hand to her temple, as if a headache were entering the fray.

_First, ice powers no one else possesses. Now a dragon whose heart’s becoming tied with mine. Why on this wide world are all the occurrences…occurring with me?_

Elsa sighed once more, then lay deeper into the couch—Dragon Book nearly forgotten in her lap—as her eyelids grew heavy against her eyes. _Maybe…maybe I’ll find out more…tomorrow…_ Elsa’s musing was punctuated by yawns, till lo, she fell asleep, book now clutched gently against her chest. It was not long before the candle died out behind her, leaving her alone in the dark, cool library.

 

* * *

 

 

Meanwhile, Birger’s night hadn’t been any easier. It _had_ started out fairly pleasantly, though. Remembering it brought a smile to the beast’s face.

Before the sisters left, Elsa had hung back; apparently to say a quiet goodbye while Anna was outside. Birger had lowered his head to her level, and Elsa held his muzzle with both hands. The touch felt good, and Birger leaned into it slightly, all the more so when she let frost flicker across his fur.

Birger looked Elsa in the eye, and there was a pleading light in them. _Do…do you have to go?_

Something Birger couldn’t quite name ghosted across Elsa’s expression. His choice of words seemed to have startled her, and he immediately started nuzzling in recompense. _Sorry, sorry, I just…_ Birger looked away and scowled, his pride not allowing him to finish the sentence.

Birger heard Elsa ‘hmm’, then felt her gently pull his gaze back to hers. Unwilling to argue, Birger let her, though stubbornly refused eye contact. Till, of course, he heard Elsa’s firm tone.

“Birger, please. Look at me.”

At first he didn’t, his face tightening in halfhearted defiance. But he very soon slumped in defeat, meeting Elsa’s cerulean eyes with his own azure ones. When he’d finally given up and looked at her, Elsa gave him a small, nigh on sympathetic smile.

“You’ll see me again, soon enough. You need time to heal, and I have my own obligations.” Patting Birger’s nose, Elsa then asked gently, “Do you understand, Birger?”

Birger frowned, his feral brow creasing and his lips pursing. Instinct raged against reason as his Frost Dragon nature demanded the new, precious connection be kept safe and kept close. But he did not want to force Elsa to do anything she did not—or could not—do. She was already becoming too much to Birger for him to subject her to that. And so, with yet another slump of defeat that curved his eyebrows and nigh on pouted his lips, Birger nodded.

Elsa smiled and scratched the soft, smooth bottom of Birger’s snout. The sudden pleasure nearly sent Birger’s eyes into his head, his ears falling back. _By the Mountain, how’d you know to scratch there?!_ Birger was graced with Elsa’s giggle in response, one of her hands daintily covering her mouth.

“You have a head like that of a horse, and that’s a horse’s favorite spot to be scratched. I assumed it would be the same for a Frost Dragon, and evidently, I was not wrong.”

Birger had to hold back a sigh of content as Elsa scratched the spot again. _Was not wrong…was not wrong at all…_

Elsa gave an amused sigh, then leaned to lay her head on Birger’s. He froze, immediately sobering in result of the motion. “One of us will be back soon…I promise.”

Birger smiled and nudged her gently. _I believe you. Now, if you’re gonna go, go. Don’t keep feisty-fur out there waiting._ When Elsa straightened, Birger couldn’t help but notice a large, tight smile on her face. He knew—could practically feel—that she was trying her absolute best not to laugh. While it seemed to have more reason than just Birger’s mighty fine sense of humor, her reaction still amused him.

Birger had watched intently as Elsa left the cave, her horse she’d ridden to get to the cave meeting her halfway. As she mounted her silly hoof-beast—a nickname Frost Dragons liked to give horses—Birger could not help but pout a little. Suddenly he wished Elsa were mounting his back rather than the horse’s, and the thought brought a jealous snort thundering from his nose. Birger had even scowled a little.

That scowl, and all sense of jealousy faded though, as Elsa threw him a stern frown. The scowl was then replaced with a pout, and Birger whimpered an apology. It seemed to reach Elsa, as her expression softened not long after. Feeling better, Birger stared after the sisters as they left on their respective mounts.

For Birger—and though he didn’t know, Elsa too—it was all downhill from there.

Barely two hours later, Birger’s patience was quickly being tried as he lay curled in his shallow cave. He’d spent months searching for his quarry, and now that he’d found it—her—he was loathe to have been parted so quickly. Birger let out a frustrated growl, the target actually being himself. _Come now, you fool! You waited months to find her, you can wait a day or two more!_

_…right…?_

_Yes—no—yes!—wait, what? Gaah!!!_

Birger ran his paws over his muzzle, the coarse pads on the palms pulling at his fur. He rubbed a little, trying to work sense back into his head. He was practically talking to himself, and the realization only further exasperated him. Birger knew he had to distract himself; thinking about what he was waiting for would only make the wait feel longer. He had to try and forget a little (not too much, of course), keep his mind busy.

A sudden painful tinge brought Birger’s attention to his ravaged right side. Looking back at them, he marveled at the decent jobs the sisters—though actually, mostly Anna—had done. When she’d given up on wrapping his shoulder, Anna had left the poultice-coated bandage pulled across the arrow wound so the medicinal item could work. With a cock of his head, Birger commended the decision, even if it _was_ foolish of her to try wrapping his shoulder like that in the first place.

But as the twinges of pain from his wounds arose, so did another, newer pain.

Birger’s face tightened as he cringed, brow bunching and eyes narrowing as he did so. Another pain had made itself known following Elsa and Anna’s departure. A tightness beneath his collarbone, almost like someone mildly squeezing his heart. But mildly or no, it ached, and Birger didn’t like it. It seemed to only manifest his missing Elsa, which of course made him remember her absence, which of course only proceeded to make the wait till her return feel lengthened.

He wanted to pace. Birger wanted to pace, real bad. But every time he made to get up, the real wounds would flare, ripping him back to ground. So instead, he flopped limply, in a pathetic heap of Frost Dragon. Cushioning his head on his paws, Birger closed his eyes and attempted sleep. He didn’t try for very long before opening them back, and looking outside the cave. Birger stared at the stars for a while, and he wondered…

_…does Elsa have family in the stars, too…?_

Steadily becoming more and more curious about Elsa’s story, Birger let his mind wander down that road. It would be a good distraction till she returned anyhow.

Did Elsa have family beyond her sister, Anna? If so, does she still have her parents? Somehow Birger knew that wasn’t true. Somehow…somehow he could _feel_ that…that she lost her parents. That realization saddened him, and he pouted slightly, wishing Elsa were with him for a different reason than before. Birger clawed the ground slightly, his arms growing tense with the restrained urge to surround Elsa—and maybe Anna to boot—with them. But with a big, full on pout, Birger remembered he couldn’t until later. So, he filed that away in his mind.

_Note to self: hug Elsa and Anna as soon as possible._

With a small smile, his pout weakening but brow still frowning, Birger closed his eyes again. Again he let his mind wander, musing over several possible facts about his new acquaintances. Olaf he could definitely see as a friend before long, if he wasn’t already. The living snowman was innocence embodied, with lots of friendliness as well. Plus, being a fellow being of snow, they’d have plenty to talk about, for sure.

Then there was Anna. Birger chuckled as he thought of the spunky ginger. She had potential for friendship—if not for her raw kindness and determination to help, then ‘because Birger kinda liked her. He chuckled even more as he remembered how he froze her to the ceiling, full on smiling with the memory. It’d felt good to tease someone after so long. Anna had only contributed to his enjoyment of the exploit with her reaction. The pure humor of the moment was worth more than the minerals Birger found in his old mountains as a pup.

And from what he’d learned of humans and their odd ways, the minerals the mountains he hailed from would’ve sold for a lot of coins (or whatever humans used, they were weird like that).

As Birger’s mind reached Elsa again, his ornery expression shifted smoothly to a more placid one. There was something about her, something beyond just her power that caught the beast’s attention. Elsa had this aura, this veil of sincerity that had struck Birger nigh on like a physical blow. Everything about her—her expressions, her words, the raw emotion he’d see in her eyes—not a bit was forced or out of place. Every ounce was true and on purpose. It reminded Birger nothing of ice or snow, which could always be hiding or obscuring something. No, Elsa was something else entirely.

But as for what she was…Birger was lost.

As Birger gradually drifted off into sleep, his last conscious thoughts fixated on his new friends, he never noticed the ache in his chest had faded long ago.


	10. A Ball with Gallantry and Shadow

Frost Dragons are not patient beings. Neither are Annas, for that matter. So when three days passed before Anna was free, both girl and beast were chomping at the bit. Course, Birger was grounded, his wounds not yet mended enough to allow for safe self-locomotion.

Anna, on the other hand, was merely forced to wait till she had free time. But come to find out her—and Elsa, actually—had forgotten about an upcoming ball. So time the princess would’ve preferred spending with the dragon in the mountains was instead spent brushing up on dances with Kristoff and taking stock of dresses for her to wear (Anna decided to discharge Kristoff of assisting her with this, figuring that nearly freezing to death earned him a reprieve).

“Why can’t I skip this one?” Anna asked Elsa as they sat in the queen’s study, said queen finishing up a small pile of papers. It was the day of the nigh on forgotten ball. Once Elsa was done, the two sisters were to prepare for the ball scheduled for that night. It was a business ball, thus only dignitaries were invited, and it wasn’t open to the public.

“Because, Anna…” Elsa began, scribbling something down real quick on a letter before setting it aside and continuing, “This ball is important, and we both need to be there. There’s business to be discussed, and it would look better to some countries if you were present as well.”

“Trade, huh…?” Anna drawled, laying stretched across the sofa as usual. “Mmm…is that why you excused Kristoff from having to attend?”

“That is exactly why, yes.” Elsa nodded, though hints of a smirk rose as she said, “Though I must say, he looked awfully relieved, and nigh on jubilant I’d say, when I informed him.”

Anna giggled, “Well, the jubilance may have been because I also let him off helping me pick a dress.”

Anna heard Elsa give a small chuckle, and smirked in triumph. “Well then,” the queen began, “That explains why he looked ready to jump in the air and click his heels.”

She tried. Anna tried very hard not to imagine that. But the image came to mind regardless. Anna bust out laughing, and nearly fell off of the couch with the severity of her mirth. Elsa merely grinned, having the willpower not to imagine it, but still enjoying hearing Anna laugh. It was quite a nice thing to hear.

Elsa finally finished with the present batch of paperwork by the time Anna had giggled to a stop. The eldest had to help her younger up, though, as she was still weak from over exuberant laughing. On their way back to the residency wing, they pass a window with a clear view of the mountains. Out of the corner of her eye, Anna notices Elsa glance out the window and stare for a while, all without breaking stride. Once they’d passed the window, Elsa sighed lightly through her nose as she returned her gaze to before her.

_There’s only one thing she’d be looking at the mountains for right now…_

Anna bit her lip before she said anything, “Do uh…well, um, I…” A tucked hair and a cleared throat. “…I assume you know why I was hoping to skip this ball?”

Another muffled sigh, and Anna catches Elsa rubbing her heart again, but differently this time.

“Yes Anna…I know.”

 

* * *

 

 

The ball began a few hours later, and it itself wasn’t so bad starting off. Sure, Anna had gone into it determined to _not_ enjoy herself. But, even though the ball was mostly for business, the perky princess just could not help herself. She accepted many an offer to dance from handsome young nobles, all the while thinking about Kristoff (if the dance offered time for thoughts). While many were much better dancers than the inexperienced Bjorgman, the men normally failed horribly beyond.

Of course, there were a few gems, but most tried flirting despite the knowledge of Kristoff’s courtship with her.

There was one particular prince she did like, though. As their dance coasted to a stop, and they bowed to one another, Anna looked at him with a bright smile. “Thank you for that nice dance, um…what was your name, again?” She gave a small shrug, “And here I’m usually so good with names.”

The young Frenchman chuckled, and Anna could’ve sworn she saw a twinkle in his eyes. _Must be my imagination._ He placed a hand over his heart and nodded, “It’s quite alright, madam. My name is Nicholas, of Lille.”

Anna was secretly taking amusement from his accent. She always loved how merely living somewhere else made your voice sound different. _Hmm…wonder what Birger’s voice sounds like…_

“Pardon? Madam?”

Anna looked up, “Mmm? Oh, oh sorry! I just,” She shook her head a little and chuckled nervously, tucking stray hairs behind her ear. “I’m sorry, just got a little lost in thought, I guess, hehe.” Anna smiled sheepishly, ducking her head.

She heard Nicholas chuckle gently, though. “It is quite all right, madam. I see the men I wished to speak are available, I should be off.”

Anna giggled, still a little meekly, and nodding, adding a curtsey for good measure. “That uh, that sounds good, okay. Thank you again for the wonderful dance, Nicholas.”

A low bow, a charming smile upon the rise, and a curt nod. “It was my pleasure, madam. Tell your beau he is the luckiest man in all the land.”

As Nicholas strolled off to where, indeed, some noblemen were conversing, Anna frowned. _Tell your beau…what’s a beau…? Why would he be the luckiest man in—OOH!!!_ Anna could not help but blush as she realized what the young nobleman had meant. Though as she thought about her _beau_ , the reasons for the blush changed. When someone bumped into her, Anna rushed to apologize (it probably not coming out right) and scurried off the dance floor.

In her hurry, Anna accidentally bumped into someone, nearly sending both of them to the floor. “Oh! Oh, I am—I’m so sorry!” She stammered her apology out as she and the victim (in her mind) righted themselves. “I-I wasn’t looking where I was going, I was in a rush and…I am so sorry, are you all right?”

The man she’d bumped into straightened and looked down at her. Mostly because he was so much taller. As Anna got a good look at him, she thought the man was taller than Kristoff. He was just as wide, too. But when Anna met his gaze, she fought to keep from shuddering. The man’s eyes were grey and dark, with a pitch-black mane outlining his face, scruffy bangs hanging over his eyes. A nicely trimmed, but still pretty rugged beard hugged his squared jaw and lip. His clothing was as dark as his hair.

Overall, he had a pretty intimidating visage—one which surely startled Anna.

Somehow, his smile only worsened it. “It is no trouble at all, young lady.” Despite the man’s well-practiced effort at disguising his accent, Anna could easily pick it up, her own practice helping not the deep Russian accent stubbornly adhering to his voice.

He reached forward and dusted Anna off, probably to be courteous. Anna was far from flattered, and fought off another shudder. She continued this fight when he left his hands on her shoulders.

“Are you alright, girl? I am quite the rock for you to have hit, after all.”

Anna made for a smile and chuckled. “Hehe, yeah, you surely are, but I am fine, really. I’ve ran into bigger, actually, so I barely felt it!”

The Russian man smiled again, and despite an expert show of warmth, Anna knew none of it was sincere. “That is very good to hear, coming from one who is used to being struck by girls as dainty as you. They don’t come out quite as unscathed, however.”

He removed his hands from her shoulders and bowed. “I need be off now, milady. Business to attend to, I am sure you know, mmm?”

Anna fought to keep a smile and nodded, “Yeah, I do, good luck to you!”

The man lifted one of her hands and lightly kissed it. His beard was coarse and uncomfortable on her skin, and while she fought yet again to keep from shaking, she also prayed this man did not have a lady of his own. Anna then watched as he promenaded off, his fierce gait adding more trepidation to her already offset mood.

_Great, there went my good mood. God, he was scary…I pity whoever he’s doing business with._

 

* * *

 

 

Meanwhile, Elsa had been dealing with different far-off visitors to their busy ball. While Anna got a nice, simple Frenchman, Elsa got hard-faced noble after another; all from multiple countries or kingdoms. The men clashed in a multitude of ways: from dress, to country, to accent, to—and worst of all—a clash of demands. Luckily, though not for her sanity, Elsa managed to keep her regal mask and queenly air in one piece.

Though it felt an eternity later, the stream of trade and business finally ebbed to the point of a break for the queen.

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed, her royal posture slipping only fractionally. She kneaded her temple with one hand to abate a headache, and raised the other. This was a sign for the nearby guards to fend off further attempts at discussions, to which they dutifully and solemnly attended.

_Industry be damned, times like these…I am far from the proper mood, were I ever truly in it._

The world around Elsa did not care about her mood, though. For as she stood stock still, messaging her temples with her hands, her intermission was disturbed by the sounds of argument. Letting out a mournful sigh for her break, Elsa peered through her lashes at the party, searching for the source of the commotion. Before long, she spotted a young, dark-haired Frenchman and another young man—Italian but equally as dashing as the former—squaring off.

The crowd around them was gradually giving them space. They stared, pointed it out to others, all the while muttering. Evidently, a first blow had already been dealt, as the brown-haired Italian had an angry bruise growing on his cheek. The bared-teeth scowl didn’t help to improve his ravaged visage, either. The Frenchman, however, held a straight face, and was as-of-yet unmarred.

Fully opening her eyes, Elsa focused on the encounter and listened closely.

“You bastard!” She heard the Italian mutter not-so-quietly (she was half across the room, after all). “What the hell was that for?!”

The Frenchman maintained his composure as he replied. “I was merely defending the lady’s honor, sir. Yours is quite abominable; I did not want you bringing hers to the same level.”

As he gestured towards the lady behind him, of whom he spoke, Elsa’s eyes widened fractionally as she noticed it was none other than Anna. Her sister was standing directly behind the Frenchman, biting her lips as she held her hands to her chest. Anna’s eyes kept going back and forth between the men at odds.

Elsa’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

_“Defending the lady’s honor”…Anna’s honor._

Without a second thought, Elsa descended from the dais she’d been on, and purposefully strode towards the encounter. The temperature surrounding her fell; and once partygoers felt it, they immediately gave her space, thus giving Elsa a clear shot to the scuffle. She came up behind the angry Italian, he too busy wallowing in his fury to feel the air around him grow cold.

Anna and the Frenchman defending her noticed, and their reactions amused Elsa greatly. While the young man merely widened his eyes, and looked the slightest bit afraid, Anna was quite the opposite. Beholding her elder sister’s icy mask, and knowing full well what she was thinking, Anna pursed her lips and held a hand to her mouth, trying to keep from laughing. Once she’d succeeded in holding back her mirth, she got a smug smile, and whispered into the Frenchman’s ear. Elsa couldn’t hear what she said, but could see the young man’s relief and following smile.

Not knowing the reason why, the Italian man growled at Anna and the Frenchman’s reactions. “What’re you _imbecilli_ looking at?!”

“Those ‘idiots’ would be looking at me.”

The Italian swung around, glare strong as he looked her up and down. Elsa’s amusement grew as horror began to overtake the young man’s expression. He made for a hasty bow, “Y-you’re M-m-majesty! I, um, what’re you doing here?”

The queen raised an eyebrow, “I live here. Better for me to ask what _you_ are doing here. From what I can gather, you have offended a poor girl and been punished appropriately. Am I wrong?”

The young man floundered for a bit, looking back and forth between Elsa and the Frenchman, horror and anger waging war on his expression. “I, well, th-this,” He paused, eyeing the people watching them before continuing. “…man, interrupted me. I was only flirting with the lady, I swear.”

Elsa’s expression did not change beyond a miniscule narrowing of her eyes—a motion lost on the Italian. “What is your name, young man?”

“A-Adalberto, majesty.”

“Mmm, thank you, Adalberto.” The queen transferred her gaze to Anna and the Frenchman, and gestured them to come closer. They complied, and once they’d approached, Elsa gave the Frenchman the same question.

A pleasant smile on his face that went unhindered by Adalberto’s glare, the man answered. “My name is Nicholas, your majesty.”

Elsa returned the smile, nodding her thanks before looking back at Adalberto, her mask returning. The look’s return made the Italian balk. “So, Nicholas, is it true you interrupted Adalberto’s attempt at flirting with this charming young lady?”

Anna stifled a giggle, and though it dimmed, Nicholas’ smile remained. “To an extent, your majesty, yes. I did indeed interrupt attempts at flirtation with this sweet lady.” Nicholas paused, his smile fading as he continued, “But, the flirtations were not wholesome. I overheard the lady reject Adalberto, and he ignored her reasoning, forcing himself upon her. When he showed further signs of unrelenting, I felt obligated to assist in her defense.”

The queen let out an “Hmm” before meeting gazes with her sister. “Are Nicholas’ words true,” A smirk, “miss?”

Anna returned her smirk, “Very much so, mmm, majesty.” She curtsied, the smirk still strong as she rose. “As for ‘poor’ Adalberto’s bruise, that was only due to his…”

The self-conscious pause brought Elsa’s protectiveness to attention, and her own smirk faded. Nicholas came to Anna’s rescue, though. “The lady had been insulted, as Adalberto here proceeded to insult and demean her. That, your majesty, is why I struck. I was merely preserving her honor.”

Adalberto sneered, and forgot for a moment about Elsa’s presence. “What ‘honor’ does one have when they are courting a lowly Ice Harvester who’s more reindeer than man?”

Everyone—Anna, Nicholas, and the crowd—gasped or gaped in shock at Adalberto’s bold insult. When the temperature took a severe dip, the crowd swiftly backed away. Even Nicholas retreated a step, though Anna held firm.

Adalberto attempted to move, but a cold hand on his shoulder sent him stock still. If the menace of the gesture wasn’t enough, the fact he could feel the iciness of the queen’s hand through the layers of his clothing surely did.

“Sir Adalberto…while all are entitled to their opinions, I must say, yours towards my sister’s courtier is truly abysmal.”

Adalberto’s horror was grand and obvious at the queen’s words. A ginger-haired princess courting an Ice Harvester…oh _gods,_ how could he have not realized?!? He stared at Anna, horror still evident, as he continued his stillness. She crossed her arms and returned his gaze, her expression smug to be sure. Anna raised an eyebrow, an unspoken reply Elsa easily read: _Yes Adalberto, princess of_ Arendelle _, and sister to the queen. Regretting our mean words now, aren’t we, stupid-head?_

Oh, how Elsa loved her sister.

A smug look of her own growing, the queen patted Adalberto’s shoulder as she spoke. “You are dismissed from the event, Adalberto. I shall be expecting your written apology to Anna upon your return to Italy, mmm?”

Adalberto nodded vigorously. “Y-y-yes, your majesty! I shall gather paper and pen the moment I arrive! Th-thank you f-f-for your generosity!”

Watching his coattails flee her ballroom was one of the best thing Elsa had seen yet. As the crowd dispersed, many smiling from the show, Elsa looked over at Anna, a small, slightly-concerned frown on her face, and a raised eyebrow. A question: _Are you alright?_ While the smile was contained, the twinkle in Anna’s eyes betrayed her immense gratitude.

A cleared throat from Nicholas caught Elsa’s attention, and she turned to face him. He had a small smile on his face as he bowed upon her turn. “Your majesty, I would like to express my thanks for your assist. While I am sure the situation was within my grasp, I know better than to turn down assistance.” He looked up from his bow, flashing a debonair smile, “Especially from one such as you, milady Snow Queen.”

While still bearing a pleasant expression, Elsa raised an eyebrow. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised the word has gotten to France and beyond.”

Nicholas chuckled as he rose. “Indeed, though it helps France and other countries had dignitaries here during the, shall we say…event? Though I assure you, he never said a word.”

Elsa nodded, “I believe he didn’t. But word is as easy to spread as fire.”

Nicholas chuckled again, “Indeed, your majesty. Now, if you marvelous ladies shall excuse me.” Elsa and Anna both nodded, the latter throwing out a quick thanks before Nicholas’ departure—a thanks he modestly accepted.

After he walked off, seemingly to partake in other conversations, Elsa let out a sigh and lightly massaged her temple.

“Are…you tired?” Came Anna’s meek inquiry.

“Somewhat,” Elsa replied with a small grin. “Though I think it is more of a mental exhaustion than a physical one.”

“Ah, well, I guess that’s not weird then. Ya know, you being queen and all, hehe.”

Elsa nodded, “Quite.”

An awkward silence began to stretch between the two sisters. Despite it being a good few months since the Great Thaw, they hadn’t spent nearly as much time together as they had wanted. Elsa had been far too held up by repairing or forming bonds with other countries. Sure _some_ countries she didn’t bother with, but most needed reassurances as to Arendelle’s potential.

Anna had spent her time repairing different bonds: theirs with the townspeople. Of course, there was also the…‘bond’ with Kristoff she was exploring too. Still, the times the sisters managed to scrounge to spend time together were too few for their wishes.

The estranged silence continued till a guard tentatively approached them. “Erm, majesty? Pardon me if I am intruding.”

Elsa dismissed his inhibitions with a wave. “It’s quite alright, yes?”

The guard took a calming breath and continued, “Majesty, according to our schedule the party is about over. Shall I give the order to begin the closing of the ball?”

The queen looked up at a window, and noted the long-since darkened sky. The ball had gone by fast once the business talks had ended. Elsa sighed discretely and suppressed a relieved smile. Anna made no such attempts, her sigh was so great, she slumped from it. The queen eyed her before turning back to the guard.

“Yes, I believe it is late enough to warrant the party’s end. You may dismiss the party.”

With a nod and a bow, the guard left to start the dismissing with his comrades. Elsa started walking back to the dais from which she’d spoken with people earlier, but Anna was following her. “The party is over, Anna, why are you following me?”

Anna merely skipped after her and said, “I was kind of hoping to talk to you about, you know, our new friend from afar?”

The queen sighed as they came to a stop on the dais. Once she was sure there wasn’t anyone close enough to hear, Elsa side-eyed her sister and spoke softly. “Wouldn’t it be wiser to speak elsewhere? Maybe in one of our rooms where we have actual privacy? Why bring him up now, here?”

Anna bit her lip before she ducked her head and kicked at the floor. “Well, I, um…” She paused and looked out at the still-emptying ballroom. Elsa followed her gaze to spot a menacing Russian man eye the guards before departing. The queen’s eyes narrowed, in both caution and confusion, the latter remaining as she looked back at Anna.

“Who was that man, do you know him?”

Anna shook her head. She was still watching him, her previously worried demeanor switched out with a wary one. “Nuh-uh, but I ran into him…uh, kind of, literally, when I’d finished a dance. He didn’t really do or say anything wrong, but…I don’t know, I just don’t like him.”

Anna bit her lip and tucked a hair away. “Is that bad?”

Elsa looked back at where the man had disappeared, a guarded mask on her face. The man had already left, but even without a proper meeting, he’d left an impression on the queen. _A shadow stalking the grounds is the last thing I need._

“You worry he might be a danger to Arendelle…and possibly to,” A rub over her heart, “…to _him_.”

Anna looked over to her sister, and before long, Elsa met her gaze. They held it for a while; an unspoken exchange passing smoothly, as if in defiance to the previous awkward silence.

“Dawn.” The sisters whispered in unison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters are not exactly my best work, I will confess; however, stick with me, and it'll get REAL good fairly soon.


	11. For The Reunion And The Dreaming

For a certain Frost Dragon, the three days leading up to the sisters’ return were an absolute bore. Birger couldn’t risk leaving the cave for fear his shoulder wound may get infected from exposure, so stay in the cave. Every time he tried to move it hurt, so stay in the cave. There was a risk the Hunters might somehow find him.

So…stay…in…the cave…

As Birger lay sprawled on his back, tongue lolling out and glazed eyes half-lidded, one would think he’d already died of boredom. The only thing that kept him from that was when Anna and Elsa came to mind. Like now, as his eyes refocused and retracted his tongue, suddenly finding that one little niche in the cave ceiling interesting.

 _What’s the purpose behind all of this…?_ Birger couldn’t help but muse. _I came to find out where the strange ice magic was coming from…but now that I’ve found it…gaahhh, by the Mountain, forget the purpose behind_ all _of this. What do I do now? Mmm…just wait for Anna and Elsa to come back, I guess…see where everything goes from there._

Musings like this came around a lot while the beast waited. It wasn’t like Birger had anything better to do anyway. He’d hunt, but with his arm terribly impaired at the moment, it was doubtful he’d be successful. Luckily for him, going without food for a few days wasn’t that difficult. Heck, Birger had gone sometimes weeks without eating on his long trip to Arendelle.

_Wonder if they’ll bring food with them…that would be nice. If they don’t…no, they wouldn’t let me eat their hoof-beasts. Shame, they looked like they would’ve been tasty._

The night before the ball saw Birger curled in the cave’s mouth, staring up at the stars again. There were many in the sky that night, and it brought a peace—a fragile one, but still, a peace to the frost dragon. Watching the twinkle in the sky as they did was awfully relaxing. Sometimes Birger wished nights like this lasted forever…but then he’d remember some prey sleep during this time, and it’s hard to find prey when they’re safe in their dens. Regardless, he so did love starry night skies.

But that night would prove both special, and a break in Birger’s seeming unyielding boredom.

As he watched the stars, ribbons of color suddenly began to wave in the sky. At first, the interruption of the frost dragon’s stargazing gave rise to annoyance as Birger’s lips pursed and his eyes narrowed a little. Needless to say, initially, Birger was not amused by this sudden color show. But as he glared at undulating bands of greens, blues and purples, a new scent assaulted his nose.

Birger started, his head jerkily rearing up as he quickly scanned the forest surrounding his cave. At first, he didn’t see anything, even as he squinted and looked hard. Sight failing, the beast instead perked his ears and listened, all the while sniffing the air for any trace of the strange scent. He caught it again, a seemingly ordinary scent of earth, rock, and moss, but heavily dosed in the smell of…magic. Birger began to pick up on small but heavy footsteps, steps belonging no doubt to something small but dense.

The frost dragon slowly rose into a half-crouch, focusing his weight on his left legs so as to avoid aggravating his still mending wounds. He steadily stared at the forest beyond his cave, watching for whatever it was he’d smelled. Another sniff told Birger the source of the scent wasn’t far off, and getting closer by the moment. Birger lowered his head, hunkering down in an almost predatory stance, just in case whatever it was meant him harm.

Ears twitched as twigs snapped. Nostrils quivered and thundered as the scent only grew stronger. Eyes narrowed as a shadow waddled between the trees. Maybe if he held still, the figure would leave and never even know he was there. That would not be the case, as the diminutive figure stopped, still hidden in the tree line. Birger held his breath and kept watching as the figure shuffled past the trees and into the clearing just outside the cave.

Birger was just about to growl, had even raised his lips in a snarl of preparation, when all intent to do so dissipated. The poor dragon couldn’t have been more confused as he looked over the subject, so confused he frowned and pouted a little.

_What in this strange land is that?!?_

 

* * *

 

 

Unbeknownst to Birger, it was none other than a young troll who’d gone exploring. The troll—whose name was Tonee—looked at the cave and lit with glee. He loved caves! He bounced happily to it, giggling all the while. But as he got closer to the opening in the rock, the young troll heard growling coming from it. Tonee slowed to a stop just a few feet away and tilted his head, letting out a cute “Huh?” in confusion. The troll squinted and noticed two faint lights that looked like eyes in the cave, no doubt reflecting the glow of the lights above.

The growling didn’t stop, prompting the young troll to frown in confusion, pursing his granite lips and tilting his head the other way. Tonee cleared his throat, covering it with a fist, then waved at the cave. “Hello~o~o in there~! Hello!”

The growling stopped, only for there to be sniffing followed by a snort.

_Bleh, dirt, moss, earth magic, ugh blehfhdhfsdehh…_

More snorting, followed by the sound of a paw rubbing against fur.

The young troll beamed and started giggling, then proceeded to walk right into the cave. As he entered, he couldn’t help but “ooh” when he saw the big fluffy beast inside. He’d heard right, the beast was rubbing his nose like he’d smelled something funny.

“You don’t like the smell of dirt, do ya?!” Tonee giggled.

The beast froze, slowly looked at the young troll, than reared back quickly. The moment he did that, though, he immediately stopped and cringed, whimpering a bit as he laid back down. The beast still kept an eye on Tonee, though. Unperturbed, Tonee waddled right up to the beast’s head, though it proceeded to raise its head away.

Tonee plopped down on his rear and smiled up at the beast. “Hi, I’m Tonee, well, technically my name is Stone, but Tonee’s shorter! Plus, Stone’s kind of a tough name, and I’m still little. I don’t have any mushrooms or crystals yet, so till then, I’ll just be Tonee!”

The beast raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth twitching. While Tonee was oblivious to it, Birger was amused by the chattering the young troll just demonstrated.

Tonee then tilted his head and asked, “So uh…what are you? And whaddaya call yourself?”

Now it was Birger’s turn to tilt his head as he gazed down at Tonee, that one brow still raised in intrigued amusement. He snorted and rested his head down by the young troll.

_Well, uh…Tonee; I’m a Frost Dragon. I don’t really call myself anything, but my…friends…call me Birger._

Tonee got a big smile and began waving his arms (the purpose being lost on Birger, whom was now eyeing the troll like he was nuts). “Birger! I like that name! That’s a good name! Who’re your friends? What’re their names? I bet they’re good names too! They are, aren’t they?!”

Birger chortled and shook his head, rolling his eyes as well. This certainly was a twittering little troll-of-a-rock. _My friends are a pair of nice girls._ Birger got all serious and puffed out his chest. _If you ask me, they have really good names! They’re Anna and E-Elsa!_

Birger ducked his head, all but blushing. He suddenly got overwhelmed by instinct as his forelegs quivered with the need to hold Elsa. _No, hold, patience…not before too long…she’ll be back, she will._

Tonee seemed to pick up on Birger’s emotional swell, as when he tilted his head this time, he had a way more solemn expression. “Huh…you really miss, which one was it…Elsa, right, that’s it. Is she a really good friend?”

Birger plastered his head to the floor, scrunched his eyes shut, and rubbed his snout with his paws, the pads on the bottoms gripping at his fur. His humming had a distressed tone to it. _Yes, she is, she’s really nice. I’m just trying to stay patient till she comes back._

Tonee rocked back and forth till he alighted on his feet. He then shimmied up to Birger and draped himself on his paw, inciting Birger to peek at him. “I’m sure she’ll be back in no time, and you’ll completely forget about the wait!”

Suddenly the little troll’s face lit up. “Ooh! Aha, I’ve got an idea! Maybe, if you’re ever super bored and lonely, ya know, you could come get me and we could have fun! Huh? Huh?! Whaddaya say?!”

Birger smirked and eyed Tonee. _I see no reason otherwise…though I’m hurt right now, so I can’t leave the cave tonight._ Pride sneaked its way into Birger’s expression. _I am a Frost Dragon though, we heal fast when we have plenty of magic in us, hehe hehe._

Tonee giggled along with him. “Ah, okay, I understand. Trolls don’t have to worry about healing ourselves, we’re rocks! Heehee, good luck with that!”

Tonee looked outside the cave and frowned. “Oh, right, I need to go home now. Mama Bulda wanted to say stuff to me and the other little trolls. Kay, gotta go!” Tonee proceeded to snuggle Birger’s paw, for which the dragon couldn’t have stopped his smile if he could.

 

* * *

 

 

As the little troll wobbled out of the cave, Birger sat up straighter and watched him go. Once he reached the tree line, Tonee turned and waved both of his stubby little arms, grinning ear to ear, before turning back and bouncing through the trees.

Birger harrumphed amusedly, shaking his head before sighing. _Interesting little bugger…chatty as a feather-wing in warm. Hmm…_ Birger sighed again, then looked up at the sky. It was still dark, and the stars were still tinkling behind the bright and colorful, shimmering veil. What had once annoyed him previously now relaxed and mesmerized him.

_Such pretty colors…this whole place is full of magic. In the humans, in the rocks, and in the sky._

Birger took in a deep breath, reveling in the satisfactory feel of crisp air in his chest before letting it out in a cloud of glittering, frosted air. His levels of magic weren’t quite full—they were barely half—but already he was feeling better. His wounds still stung, but moving wouldn’t kill him. He could breathe frost and not get light-headed.

Birger sighed, eyes downcast, and slightly shook his head. _First Olaf…then Anna…then…Elsa…_ A smile. _Ha, and now Tonee the Little Troll. Arendelle’s full of all kinds of magic, it seems._

 

* * *

 

 

The dawn following the dance was a warm and gentle one. It was soothing, the bright reds and oranges of the rising sun welcoming as they stretched across the fjord kingdom of Arendelle. Normally, this very sun would bear the “privilege” of waking the princess Anna, and her raging bedhead. But not this morning.

No, this morning, the sun that was Anna rose before the one in the sky did.

Forgive her if she was eager as could be. She and Elsa finally had the proper free time they needed to go visit Birger. Just thinking about going back up towards the North Mountain, straight to the cave low at its base, where the Frost Dragon himself awaited them. Anna knew, if Birger was anything like she was, he’d be more than looking forward to seeing them again.

As Anna pulled on the last of her riding outfit—jacket, vest, riding skirt, trousers and such—she still couldn’t quite believe it; that they’d met a dragon. Sure, Anna had met two talking snowmen, a colony of trolls, and her sister had ice powers. Nevertheless, the thought that dragons existed was more than even Anna could imagine. But now that she knew, now that Anna had met a dragon—one who defied the usual image to boot—her imagination swelled.

As did her growing need to see Birger again.

The ornery Frost Dragon may have froze her to the ceiling of his cave last time they were there, but that didn’t matter. Not only was Birger so very nice—whether he knew it or not—but it was important they see him again. Mostly because, by some strange magic, Birger and Elsa had been linked.

Anna couldn’t put her finger on just how that could happen. Maybe it was because both Elsa and Birger had ice magic in them? Maybe Elsa did something with her magic that tied her to him without knowing?

…maybe both and Anna’s smarter than she thought she was?

Ah well, better to just go see Birger again. Elsa could use getting out more, and regular trips to the mountain seemed decent. Sure, it was still a ways away from the Ice Palace, but it was deep enough in the cold to give her sister adequate replenishing of herself.

Having slipped her riding boots on by this point, Anna leaped to her feet and ran out her door. She barreled down the hallway straight to Elsa’s room, where she skid to a halt. Pausing to take a shoring breath, Anna beamed as she knocked discreetly on her sister’s door.

_I really need to get used to knocking on this thing again._

The door opened, causing a minor swell of elation in Anna that she managed to keep down. Elsa greeted her with a nod and a smile, already donned in her own riding attire. It resembled Anna’s in bearing vest, jacket, breeches, and riding boots—and a notable lack of riding skirt. The only differences were the respective signature rosemalings, and the differing color schemes: Elsa’s black, azure, violet and turquoise as opposed to Anna’s black, magenta, dark blue, and light blue.

Elsa wordlessly stepped through the threshold of her room, turning slightly to pull her door closed before heading down the hall. Anna scurried to follow, momentarily surprised by Elsa’s haste.

_She must be looking forward to this more than I am! …huh…didn’t think that was possible._

Once Anna reached her sister’s side, she slowed to match Elsa’s subtly hurried pace. They were halfway to the main doors of the castle when Elsa finally spoke.

“Do pardon my silence, Anna.” She paused and glanced at Anna, smiling apologetically. “I just had a peculiar dream last night.”

Anna tilted her head, eyeing her sister with narrowed eyes. “Really? Peculiar, huh? Feel like saying what was it that made it so?”

Elsa was silent, looking straight ahead, prompting Anna to pout a little and also look forward.

_It’s okay Anna, it’s okay…don’t let Elsa keep it in, but don’t pester it out of her either._

The pair had reached the doors, and still, Elsa was quiet. Anna took this as her chance to exercise her patience—something which usually wasn’t so good. They hadn’t encountered a single servant on the way, but that was fine. Elsa had informed Kai of their escapade last night before they retired to bed, so there would be no panic if they were discovered missing. Though the loyal manservant knew the true nature of this journey, he would not tell it, rather giving a fiction to explain the absence of the royal sisters.

Elsa pushed the doors open herself, but paused once they were open. Anna leaned on one foot to peek at her sister’s expression, and noticed is was a blank one, though her eyes were alight with thought. Returning to a straight posture, Anna went ahead and started out for the stable. She’d only gotten two paces when she heard Elsa.

“I dreamt of Birger, and…and of dragons. Lots and lots of dragons…”

Anna skidded to a halt and swung around, wide eyed and short of breath, to face Elsa. Her sister was now watching her, only this time, there was something to her expression. Elsa’s eyes were just as wide as Anna’s, but her brow was furrowed slightly, and there was a downward pull to the corners of her mouth. She wasn’t just awed…Elsa seemed almost… _uneasy_.

Anna frowned, her eyes much less wider now, and pursed her lips. Without another word, she turned and continued for the stables. Elsa had followed, arriving just a few seconds after her sister.

Early in the morning or no, a stable boy was present. It was the same shaggy-haired boy that had fetched Kristoff when the royal sisters had returned from their last trip to the mountains. He watched them curiously for a moment, before scurrying to attend them as was his job. Discerning from their attire the princess and queen planned on riding, the stable boy immediately made to prepare their steeds, starting with Elsa’s Romeo.

As the boy did so, Anna preempted him into her horse’s stall. She carefully approached the horse, it regarding her quite cheerfully. Apparently, he was more than interested in the idea of an early morning ride. She stroked his forehead gently, smiling at him…but with an ornery tint to it.

 _Just wait till the coward meets Birger._ Anna mused maniacally. _If he runs away from a little snow and a far off howl…hehehehehe…_

Before Anna could continue her fantasies, the stable boy came, and proceeded to prep her horse. Smiling and nodding to the boy—which caused him to duck his head and look away—Anna exited the stall and looked for Elsa. She was standing beside her horse, stroking his side and murmuring assurances. Or at least, that’s what it sounded like as Anna approached. The ginger-haired princess smirked as she looked Romeo over.

“I can’t _believe_ Punzie gifted you a quarter horse!”

Anna chuckled as her sudden outburst startled Elsa. She jumped, an arctic breeze preceding her swiveling to face Anna. While Romeo snorted at the sudden cool air, Elsa pursed her lips and side eyed her younger sister.

“Anna,” She chided. “You know better than to sneak up on me.”

Anna smiled a toothy—and very mock innocent—smile. “True, but it sure is a lotta fun!”

Elsa let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. She turned back to Romeo and began whispering apologizes for the blast of cold air, and how it was all Anna’s fault, and how quarter horses could be in fjords too if they wanted. Anna merely giggled and awaited the stable boy’s finishing prepping her horse. It didn’t take long at all before he brought forth Anna’s mount, and she pulled herself atop it. The now mounted pair set off—using the stone bridge this time—and started on their way.

Completely oblivious that they were being followed.

 

* * *

 

 

Quite some time later, the snow sisters were nearing Birger’s cave. They only had an hour or so left to travel. The minor mountains were already in their sight, the peaks nowhere near the steepness or grandeur of the North Mountain, but still a marvel in their own right. Their snowcapped summits towered high above, the long drapes of snow cascading downward like untarnished skirts. While subservient in comparison, the trees stretching afar from the edges of the mountains had their own level of respect. The hardy pines and their fellow wintery kin provided plenty of shade and cover. The dark brown bark and sober green needles and leaves were in stark contrast to the near-blank canvas of the crags.

It was through this very forest Elsa and Anna rode, their horses trudging diligently through the stubborn snow that remained most all year. While Romeo powered through the toil, being of a hardier stock than most quarters. Despite his valiant efforts, though, Anna’s horse marched on with noticeably less labor, bearing the advantage of being bred for this purpose.

As the silent competition between their horses raged (much without any acknowledgement), Anna decided to break the silence that had permeated over most of the ride.

“So uh…hey, Elsa,” Anna began, somewhat hesitantly.

“Hmm, yes?” Elsa coaxed, glancing over at Anna, an equal level of patience in both her expression and her tone.

“I was just wondering, actually, what all specifically happened in your dream.” She shrugged, waving her hands kind of aimlessly, reins still gripped tight. “Ya know, that you mentioned back at the stables? ‘Bout Birger and bunches of dragons?”

Elsa sighed and looked forward, subconsciously gripping Romeo’s reins a little tighter as the dream returned to the forefront of her memory. It had been quite the odd one indeed…she had no idea what had prompted it. Course, Elsa had dozed off while reading the Book of Dragons in bed last night. Maybe that had done it? Regardless, it surely abnormal.

Then there was the knight…

Elsa shook her head—inadvertently sending the dream to the back of her mind—pursing her lips a little as her brow furrowed.

“It’s not important,” Elsa claimed, a lie even unto herself. “Just a dream.”

Elsa took a deep breath, loosening her posture and expression. “That conflict you got into at the Ball last night _I_ am interested in, though.

Anna narrowed her eyes, staring hard at her sister. Elsa was lying— _and_ changing the subject. She could tell her sister was still uneasy about the dream, but for whatever reason chose to disregard it.

_If this comes back to bite us in the butt, I am definitely going to have get onto her for this._

Anna rolled her eyes and sighed as she returned her gaze forward. “It wasn’t much of a ‘conflict’, really. Well…maybe…yes? Ah, regardless, I had everything under control till Nicholas came along.”

Elsa kept her gaze across Romeo’s head, but raised an eyebrow. “Really? Do tell.”

Anna pursed her lips but spoke, “Okay yes, it’s true Adalabartoo—”

“Adalberto.”

“Whatever. Yes, he tried flirting—quite meanly I might add,” Anna’s expressions and gestures got a bit wild. “And he was really starting to get on my nerves. I would’ve hit him right there, in front of the whole ball, if Nicholas hadn’t arrived.”

Elsa smirked, imagining Anna punching the shameful man not unlike how she’d done with Hans months before.

“I imagine the observant young man took swift notice of your…fiery demeanor,”

Anna blushed.

“And sought to prevent Adalberto from suffering an even worse blow to his pride than he later did.”

Anna recovered and giggled. “Not that he deserved the mercy, if you ask me.”

Elsa smiled. “But an honorable move on his part.”

Anna thought about it, then smiled as well and nodded. “Good point.”

With the conversation taking up most of the last of the stretch to Birger’s cave, it didn’t take quite that long to arrive. When the cave came into view, Anna smiled, beaming as she glanced at her sister. Elsa had a much more discreet smile, but Anna could see a smile brighter than her own in her sister’s eyes. It didn’t help that once they’d entered the clearing in front of the cave, Elsa immediately—though gently—reined Romeo to a stop, proceeding to vault off before he’d even settled.

Elsa attempted a slow, calm approach to Birger’s cave, but once an extremely excited howl came from it, that façade faded as swiftly as Elsa ran. Anna could not keep the huge smile on her face at bay, and practically bounced in place on the saddle. Her horse gave a complaining snort and looked at her. Anna eyed him back keenly—eyes slightly narrowed—till the fjord horse looked away.

_Mmhmm, you remember what you did._

Anna dismounted, tying her horse’s reins tightly and expertly to a strong nearby tree before approaching the cave. Romeo—as awing as his demeanor was—didn’t need tying. The hardy, sweet quarter stood at attention as he waited, the extra blankets on his back and wraps on his legs helping the unsuited horse withstand the cold. Anna rubbed his nose as she passed, he nickering gratefully in response, warm breath fogging in the chilled air.

Anna smiled at Romeo, then quickly sprinted to the cave. She slowed to at the mouth, her big smile returning at the sight she beheld: The magical pair had practically recreated the positions from their first meeting, Birger’s long horse-ish head pressed against Elsa, she holding his great muzzle, petting his scruffy jaw and beneath his mouth. Only this time, Elsa was kneeling, Birger’s fluffy nose resting on her lap.

Anna’s smile dimmed, but only as gentleness tempered the overwhelming joy she felt, knowing her beloved sister had made such a connection. _And so quickly! Guess that’s their magic, for you._ Granted, Anna had the strong feeling it was more than this shared trait that attributed to the near dependence. Regardless, it warmed her heart to know her plan had worked.

Elsa had a buddy now!

Anna decided to hang back and let the pair heal any loss they might have felt by separating after their first meeting.

 

* * *

 

 

While she would most likely deny it when asked, Elsa, indeed, could not bring herself to approach the cave any degree less than eagerly. Elsa knew well Romeo wouldn’t wander off, nor would he be easily spooked (Rapunzel had sure found an exceptional horse). This gave her solace as she left him in her powder to get to Birger.

The fairly large, dark, craggy fissure would deter average passerby, with hikers hoping to find shelter in it. That would change quickly, though, when two large eyes shone and a growl came, denoting a fierce beast within.

None of this dissuaded Elsa, and when she approached, not a smidgen of growl came. No, she ran right to it, hearing Birger’s excited yelps. The moment her feet crossed the cavern’s threshold, she slid gracefully to her knees, momentum causing her to slide across the rock floor. Elsa coasted to a stop just as Birger lowered his head and brought his paws around in a loose hug. As she gripped his equine head in an embrace, petting his beneath his muzzle and scratching his scruffy jaw, she felt him thrum.

_You were gone forever~!_

Elsa smiled. _Three days is not forever._

She didn’t bother to speak aloud.

_It is when you’re gone and I can’t rightly leave._

Elsa chuckled, then pressed her forehead against Birger’s forelock, closing her eyes as she let her magic leak through her fingers and accumulate as frost on Birger’s jaw.

Birger thrummed a little harder.

_Your magic is so low…I, I can feel it._

Birger’s thrum dimmed.

_Aye, it is…nothing some cuddling, snow and frost couldn’t fix._

Elsa chuckled and shook her head, resulting in her rubbing her brow against Birger’s mane. _Very well, but only because I feel bad I made you wait._

She felt the telltale vibrations of Birger chuckling closemouthed.

_What’re you waiting for then? For Anna to stop smiling and staring like a giddy fool?_

Elsa brought her head back, looked at Birger (whom was bobbing his eyebrows), then back at where Anna stood. Her sister looked a little caught, but recovered and approached.

“So, how’s our fluffy buddy doing?” Anna asked once she’d knelt nearby.

Birger raised his head and snorted at her, furry lips pursed, making them look quite amusing. A fact which seemed lost on Birger, as he did it often without any real notice of its comedic appearance. Elsa sighed and glanced at Anna.

“He still doesn’t like being called ‘fluffy’.”

Anna frowned, looking up a little as she thought. “Weird, he is fluffy.”

Elsa shrugged, joining Anna in pretending Birger wasn’t there. He scowled mightily, bottom lip protruding a little as he realized what was going on.

“It is strange, Anna, I’ll admit. He’s so fluffy, furry, and downright soft. You’d think he’d be proud and flaunt it.”

Anna nodded, agreeing. “Just plain odd.”

Birger snorted in both of their faces, proceeding to cup them in his paws and squish them against the scruffy, teal mane on his chest. The sisters couldn’t well resist, even as they tried to push away and not breathe in his fur. All three began to chuckle, even as Birger kept them close. He then surprised both of the girls by rolling onto his back and resting them there on his chest. As they stared in shock at his maneuver, unmarred by pain, Elsa smiled and Anna beamed.

“Birger!” Anna shouted, standing straight atop his chest with surprising balance. “You’re feeling better! Haha!” She then tackled him, hugging tight.

Elsa’s reaction was much more contained, she instead passing her hand through his fur, frost trailing her fingers.

_A time with me and three days made a lot of progress with your recovery._

Birger beamed, his head raised to look at the two girls he’d settled on his furry torso.

 _Frost dragons heal quickly when we have enough magic._ He brought his head up and nuzzled her, Elsa hugging back. _You helped a lot…th-thanks._ Birger than looked her in the eye. _To be honest, I never thought I’d thank a human. I’m a little flabbergasted._

Elsa raised an eyebrow.

Birger raised one back. _…what?_

_Flabbergasted?_

Birger smiled sheepishly. _I-I like that word…it sounds funny. Lots of human words sound funny. Like uh…like um…_ He frowned in thought, furry eyebrow bunched over his big azure eyes as his lips tightened. _…gobsmacked!_  Birger beamed with a big toothy smile. _Gobsmacked sounds hilarious! What does it mean?!_

_Gobsmacked means to be utterly astonished. It’s similar in meaning to flabbergasted, actually._

Birger stared blankly for a moment, before looking up and pursing his lips. _Hmm, interesting._

Anna had remained lying against his fur, and as Elsa looked, was making fur-angels. Elsa stared at the absolutely ridiculous endeavor her sister was partaking in, feeling quite…well…gobsmacked. While she had made very sure to never forget the wonderful, fun person her sister was for those awful 13 years, it was times like this when she wondered if Anna was sillier than she remembered.

…or had simply gotten worse with time.

The young queen shook her head, smirking at the spirited person that was her sister, then observed Birger’s face to see the dragon’s reaction. Birger merely stared gaping at the sight, feeling more undignified than upset, really, from what Elsa felt.

That lasted for only a moment before Birger snorted at Anna, coating her completely with frost. Anna froze, beyond obvious reasons, then rose as seamlessly as she could—which was rather hard when your clothes are stiffened by frost. Pitying her sister, Elsa defrosted her, Anna sparing her a thankful glance, before glaring at Birger. He merely eyed her back, one brow lifted, as if in challenge. Then Elsa began to laugh, and the previously dueling pair couldn’t help but join.

The jovial moment was broken when Birger started, his large horse-ish ears twitching and swiveling. He turned his head as towards the entrance of his cave as he could, flaring his nostrils as he tried to smell whatever it was he’d been detecting. Slowly, almost predatorily, Birger held the girls with his paws and rolled back to his stomach, making sure to lift Elsa and Anna so as to set them on the ground rather than crush them. As Birger crept forward, slinking quite lion-like to the cave entrance, Elsa and Anna scooted back to give him room.

Birger rested just inside the edge of the cave, balancing his weight on all four paws. His head hovering low, a very faint growl echoing from his chest—looking more like a predator than either girl had seen yet. Could they have seen his eyes, they wouldn’t have noticed the pupils had contracted slightly, looking more slit-like and appearing quite draconic.

Anxious seconds went by, each one tensely eternal, and yet surprisingly quick. For in no time, Birger was lunging with a near-roaring growl, a scream resounded from outside, and the sisters ran out of the cave.


End file.
